Golden Bugs, Platinum Love
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Agitha is taken from Hyrule to the Pokémon World and her Golden Bugs scattered. Ash and his friends decide to help find her Golden Bugs before they become food to the creatures around.
1. Princess Routed

_Disclaimer: No Ownership of Pokémon or Legend of Zelda_

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 _ **Golden Bugs, Platinum Love**_

 _Chapter 1: Princess Routed_

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The lands laid scorched, blood still stain the grass and dirt. A helmet in the shape of a squid's head rested straight-up. The kingdom of Hyrule continued to repair the damage caused by the fights with the castle and the forces of the Twilight sent by the late Usurper King, Zant. In a town that looked like middle age Europe, the townspeople fixed buildings that seemed to have damages beyond repair. Regardless of the construction, a local tavern served drinks to its customers. A middle-aged rotund redhead woman with pointy ears served drinks and collected colored gems as payment. "Everyone will get a drink!" she promised. "Hold your horses!" As customers received pints, some gathered in celebration.

"Ganondorf is no more!" one announced. "Three cheers! Link is our hero!" The crowd cheered for the one who rescued the kingdom.

"Hip hip hooray!" they repeatedly shouted with glee. Down the road, a shop bustled with customers buying equipment like potions and bombs. A little man with a tuff of hair on top enjoyed the service in his merchandise flying off his shelves.

"I'm definitely making a killing!" the little man sneered. "Link's wear is now becoming everyone's!" While the town bustled, a blond girl in a blue dress walked through the streets. She carried a basket with fruit and bread. The pigtail blond had dots of different colors around her eyes. As she neared the town's south entrance, three girls spotted the blond.

"Agitha!" the girl with crimson red hair called out. She left a large tent called "STAR Game" with a blue-haired girl in a blue blouse over a white shirt and ragged skirt, and a green-haired in a green robe and purple skirt. The crimson-haired wore a red robe and blue skirt. The blond turned to the three who emerged.

"Misha!" she recognized the crimson-haired. "How's STAR Game?"

"Nearly repaired. We hope Link comes back so that we see more of his work." Agitha giggled to the wishes of Misha.

"Oh, Link!" the green-haired girl cooed. "We want to see you shoot our hearts in love!" The blue-haired noticed the basket and decided to ask.

"Are you going on a picnic?" she asked.

"I am, Kili," Agitha replied. "And I won't be alone. Luckily, it's not with Link."

"That's okay," Misha brushed off. "I just wonder how long he'll be with Princess Zelda?" Agitha could only imagine.

"So, does that mean you're eating with the golden insects?" the green-haired guessed.

"I am," Agitha confirmed. "It's thanks to the wolf and that Midna girl that I have my golden bugs with me." Misha heard the plan and wanted to excuse Agitha to have her picnic.

"Alright, you and your insects have fun," she excused. Agitha left the town and proceeded out to a field of flowers. She looked up to the blue sky. The black wolf with a mane that covered half of its back and the blue eyes that had.

"I wonder if I'll see that friendly wolf again?" she wished. She laid a blanket onto the grass. She started to open a cage full of shining insects. She had a pair each of ants, snails, ladybugs, mantises, butterflies, Phasmidas, dayflies, stag beetles, grasshoppers, pill bugs, normal beetles and dragonflies. That's when a glowing blue butterfly fluttered towards her. Quickly, Agitha recognized it. "A Goddess Butterfly?" The Goddess Butterfly flew around Agitha with a swarm of other butterflies circling her. Agitha felt like she's in a tornado of butterflies as the Goddess Butterfly rested on an offered finger. More butterflies surrounded her. She saw no opening to the swarm around her like the twister it played. After about a couple of minutes, the butterflies scattered, flying in different directions. When Agitha could see again, she found herself in a forest. She became perplexed. "I thought I was in a field of flowers. How did I get here? I didn't even move a muscle." She looked inside to the cage and opened it up. "Is everyone alright?" The bugs gave off a shimmering sound. She sighed in relief before becoming curious. In the trees, she saw giant ladybugs with huge eyes, green caterpillars and blue beetles. "Where did I end up?" That's when a large brown bear with a circle on its chest emerged from around the corner. Quickly, she began to backpedal. The bear sized itself, arms spread. It let out a roar that made Agitha start to retreat but her feet got tangled and she stumbled. The bugs quickly scattered. "No! My Golden Bugs!" The bear approached, ready to maul her at any moment. Agitha spotted two snails, both shimmering with one green and the other pink. She gathered the snails and raced off.

Meanwhile, three kids, a mouse and a living egg came to a crossroad. "Looks like we have to choose where to go," the redhead girl sighed. She had her hair in a sideways ponytail while wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt a size small and denim shorts held up by suspenders. The egg in her hand had red and blue spots. It has stubby arms and its head took the shape of a crown. She turned to a tanned young brunette man. His zigzag spiky hair stood up while he wore a green t-shirt under an orange vest and brown cargo pants. "Brock, what does the guidebook say?" Brock glanced into a booklet he had.

"Let's see…" he studied. "Both ways lead to Ecruteak City and one path can get us there in days. That path also leads us to a special forest." This made the redhead and a raven-haired boy curious. He wore a red baseball jacket with a green triangle printed on the front. Also on him was a blue short-sleeve jacket he donned open over a black t-shirt and jeans. The yellow mouse on his shoulder had red cheeks, brown streaks on its back and the tail took form of a lightning bolt.

"What's so special about the forest?" he asked. Brock studied the booklet more.

"According to this, the forest is called Pollentasia," he read. "It's a known forest within Johto, famous for being a breeding ground for Bug Pokémon." The redhead gasped in horror.

"B-Bu-Bug Pokémon?!" she yelped. The information made Brock giddy.

"This can't be false!" he sneered. "I want to see a breeding ground for myself! I, an upcoming Pokémon Breeder, cannot pass this opportunity to see a breeding ground and study from it!" The redhead wasn't in favor of seeing a lot of Bug Pokémon.

"YOU'RE CRAZY!" she snapped. "I wouldn't mind breeding grounds for Grass Pokémon or Flying Pokémon! Heck, I'd go in favor of one for Water Pokémon… BUT BUGS BUG ME!"

"Settle down, Misty," the raven-haired tried to reason. "You don't have to yell at Brock for something he wants to see. Besides, we'll be fine as long as we leave them alone." Misty scoffed, not believing the raven-haired.

"Easy for you to say, Ash!" she stammered. "You probably don't worry so much since you have Heracross… and that you don't have Bug Pokémon wanting to crawl on you every chance they get!" Ash sighed to Misty's frustration.

"Misty, I know you don't hate ALL Bug Pokémon," he pointed out. "Tracey's and Aya's Venonat, Koga's Venomoth and Butterfree are a few examples." Misty irked to Ash's explanation, wishing it wasn't the case. "Aside from that, what about a Bug Pokémon that's also part Water-Type?" Misty gulped to the possibility of a Bug/Water Pokémon.

"Ash has a point about that," Brock backed up. "With wild combinations like Water/Flying or Dark/Electric or even Fire/Steel…" The egg-like creature seemed open for all sorts of possibilities.

"I'm still saying that I'm distrusting on Bugs," she insisted. "And that's final!" Ash, Brock and the mouse sighed to Misty's unrelenting rant.

"Well, I wanna see some Bug Pokémon," Ash decided. "I bet we can see some rare ones." The mouse squeaked in favor of Ash's choice.

"If I'm gonna be the greatest Pokémon Breeder," Brock started. "A place like Pollentasia is a great start." Brock's words prompted the egg to raise a hand in agreeing, much to Misty's chagrin.

"Togepi…" she whined. "Why?" Counting, Ash had to tell Misty the bad news.

"Sorry, Misty," he smiled. "Looks like the votes are in and yours is out." Misty's mull told them she refused but had no choice in the manner.

"Besides, if we took the other route, it'll be a few weeks to reach the other side," Brock added. Misty felt betrayed. Meantime, Agitha hid within the forest from the bear. She took a deep breath from the encounter.

"What was that bear mad about?" she wondered. "And what happened to the field of flowers?" She looked to her two snails. "I'm glad I didn't lose all of you. I just wonder where my other 22 left for?" Agitha wandered around for a little while, trying to find a sign of her Golden Bugs. "That wolf will be mad if I said that I lost it by some bear." Just below her on the path, the Goddess Butterfly flew in front of Misty who jumped at the sight. She landed on Togepi's little nose.

"GET IT AWAY!" she shrieked. Ash and Brock turned to find Misty putting Togepi down and backing away from it. The boys blinked to seeing the Goddess Butterfly on Togepi as the mouse approached both.

"What's that?" asked Ash.

"I'm not quite sure," Brock shrugged. "I don't even think it's a Pokémon!" The mouse offered its tail to the Goddess Butterfly which she accepted. Ash knelt to the mouse as it returned to him.

"Let's see it, Pikachu," he requested. Pikachu offered its tail to Ash. He stuck a finger out for the Goddess Butterfly to perch herself onto it. "I wanna say that it looks like a really tiny Butterfree." The Goddess Butterfly leaped from Pikachu's tail to Ash's finger. He stood up to examine further with Brock.

"It does," he surveyed. "I'm still wondering where it came from." Pikachu crawled up to Ash's shoulder while Brock lifted Togepi who wanted the Goddess Butterfly back.

"C'mon, Misty," Ash assured. "It won't bite."

"Easy for you to say, Ash!" the redhead snapped. Hesitant, she approached. Her shaky hand offered, the Goddess Butterfly didn't move from Ash.

"Relax, Misty," Brock instructed. "It won't come to you when your hands aren't still." Misty couldn't get her hands to behave.

"I can't help it if my history with bugs isn't as spotless as yours!" she argued.

"It would help if you take a deep breath," Ash advised. Misty groaned to the instruction.

"Okay… fine…" she caved. She took a deep breath and soon another. Agitha appeared at the top of the steep hill by the road. After her second deep breath, she stuck her hand out again, a little more stable. The Goddess Butterfly flew to Misty's knuckle and landed for her nervous and sweaty face to see the insect. Soon, she relaxed herself. "Hey, it's not so bad. The more I work with something like this, Bug Pokémon may not be so bad." Back on top of the hill, Agitha looked back to see if that bear continued to follow. She took a couple of steps back when she lost her footing and began falling down the hill.

"AAAHHH!" she yelped. All turned to the blond rolling. Ash sprinted to cut Agitha's path. He reached the edge as she arrived at the bottom. The momentum seemed too much. Agitha bounced once and crashed into Ash with her eyes closed. She flew into his arms and he caught her. He rolled a few times before stopping the cap flying off his head. Misty and Brock ran over to check on their friend.

"Ash!" they called out. Ash reeled as the Goddess Butterfly flew from Misty's hand to her ponytail. Ash looked to see who he caught, finding Agitha in his arms.

"I'm good," he cringed. "But who's this?" Ash held Agitha's head with one arm, her legs in another and the rest of her body on his lap. Pikachu and Togepi seemed interested with the new girl.

"Good question," Misty pondered. Agitha began to stir and noticed that she's being held. She looked up to find Ash's face.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Her astonished face saw the boy who caught her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, a gleeful smile on her face.

"My knight in shining armor!" she cheered. Misty and Brock gawked to Agitha's action, though not as big as Ash.

"That happened fast," Brock gulped. Ash couldn't do anything but bear the hug. Agitha may have her knight, but what about her Golden Bugs? All she has are her snails.

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TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Bear-ly Princess Material

_Chapter 2: Bear-ly Princess Material_

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Ash became the attention of Agitha after he caught her falling down a hill. Agitha appeared after butterflies whisked her to a new land and to Ash's arm after a bear chased her away, scattering all her golden bugs while saving her snails. She rested in his arms while Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Togepi watched, confusion painting their faces. "Princess Zelda may have her Link, but I now have my own!" she claimed. Her words befuddled Ash.

"What are you talking about?" he gulped.

"My knight! Please, take me to your kingdom so I can me- OW!" Agitha's words were silenced when Misty pulled on Agitha's ear. The pull gave the blond excruciating pain.

"So they ARE real," she awed.

"That's hurting!" complained Agitha, flailing her arm. "Let go!" Misty complied and released the hold on Agitha's ear. She rubbed the ear while still holding her snails. "May I ask why you pulled me away from my knight? Let alone by my ear? Hylians have sensitive ears." Misty gawked to what Agitha called herself.

"What's a Hylian?" asked Brock. Pikachu blinked to the discovery. Agitha gawked to the news.

"You've… never heard of Hylians?" she gulped. She noticed Pikachu and knelt to it. "I've never seen a mouse like this. Are your ears as sensitive as mine?" She stroked Pikachu's ear, tickling the mouse.

"Seems you like that feeling, Pikachu," Misty giggled. Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Pikachu, is it?" repeated Agitha. "Nice to meet you." Learning her friendliness to Pikachu, the trainers made themselves known.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Ash started. "I'm Ash Ketchum. I'm a Pokémon Trainer. Pikachu's my main partner." Pikachu squeaked to greet Agitha.

"I'm Misty, and I'm also a Pokémon Trainer that specializes in Water Pokémon," Misty greeted. "This little Pokémon in my arms is Togepi." The baby cheered to meeting Agitha.

"I'm Brock, and I'm training to be a Pokémon Breeder," Brock introduced himself. "Now I may be looking for a girl for myself buy I'm afraid you're a little young for me." The blond looked confused to Brock's claim. Misty put Togepi down before viciously yanking on Brock's earlobe. The breeder screeched in pain.

"What you really need to look for is a better dialogue!" she snapped, dragging Brock away as he complained of pain.

"Does this always happen?" asked Agitha. Ash sighed to the sight, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm not sure how to imply it," he muttered. Agitha looked in her hand to see her snails still moving.

"You two are okay," she whispered. Pikachu and Togepi looked to see the snails in her hand. Misty returned to see the Spike Ball and Mouse Pokémon with the blond. Agitha decided to sing a little number for the snails. "Li'l snail, li'l snail… just once I'd like to take a bath in that slime…" Misty cringed at the verse Agitha sang while Togepi danced a little.

"Creepy… crawly…" the redhead stuttered. Ash sighed to Misty's shaky nerves. Agitha became curious.

"Is she okay?" she asked.

"Misty's got an issue with Bug Pokémon," he briefed. However, he noticed the pair of snails having glowing shells and shimmering sounds. "I know those aren't Pokémon… but they're-"

"…Shimmering, yes," Agitha answered. "These are two of my golden bugs I was able to save." The Goddess Butterfly fluttered to Agitha and landed on an offered finger from the blond. "So this is where you disappeared to." This interested Ash.

"You know this one?" he asked.

"Indeed," she responded. "She's the Goddess Butterfly. I've heard legends about such a butterfly helping those in need of guidance." Pikachu's eyes glistened at the note from Agitha.

"That's a really cool butterfly," Brock awed. "Maybe it can guide me to a girl of my dreams. That butterfly would be my heroine!" Misty had doubts to Brock's wish.

"I'm no expert but the Goddess Butterfly doesn't fly like that," she groaned. Brock twitched, nearly falling over after becoming unbalanced.

"Don't get me wrong," Ash assured to Agitha. "I like what the Goddess Butterfly can do, but I'd rather be guided by my heart than a bug," Pikachu squeaked more to agree with his partner. That's when Ash remembered something missing. "Oh yeah… we didn't get your name." Agitha gulped to the sudden realization. She soon giggled to the mistake.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she insisted. "My name is Agitha, princess of the insects." The others gasped to the title she gave herself.

"Princess!?" gawked Brock. Misty backed away from Agitha, knowing what she stood for.

"Is something wrong?" wondered Agitha. Ash rolled his eyes to the news, figuring his friends' reactions.

"A princess of bugs?!" nerved Misty.

"Can I take back what I said about her?" asked Brock. Ash needed order.

"Would you two calm down?!" he urged. "And you guys say I'm childish…" Misty and Brock reluctantly began to ease return, trying to adjust to the addition.

"We're… not use to having princesses be by us," Brock admitted. Misty returned and hoisted Togepi. Ash felt ready to learn about Agitha.

"We're all… surprised that you're a princess," he started. "Where did you come from?" Agitha hesitated for a minute, thinking they wouldn't believe her.

"I came from a land called Hyrule," she began. "It's where we Hylians emerge from. I've heard that every generation, there's someone who's a legendary hero who wields the blade of evil's bane: the Master Sword. Not long ago, Hyrule was invaded by beings known as Twili." The trainers and the Pokémon looked confused to the name.

"Twili?" repeated Misty.

"Twili are creatures of Twilight," Agitha clarified. "They came to Hyrule led by the Usurper King named Zant. He wanted to control Hyrule the same way he took over Kingdom of Twilight. Hyrule, governed by Princess Zelda, was attacked. It would take the sages and the Master Sword to end the evil of the king and restore peace. During the time, I made friends with a wolf and another Hylian named Link." The trainers blinked to her story.

"A wolf?" all three repeated.

"Link found all 12 pairs of Golden Bugs where I have the list," she added. "He brought all of them to my castle in Castle Town. I do wish I know what happened to that wolf. He was... really friendly." She presented a list to the trainers where Brock read off the names.

"Let's see…" he studied. "You have the snails, so we need ants, mantises, butterflies, phasmids, dayflies, stag beetles, ladybugs, grasshoppers, regular beetles, pill bugs and dragonflies." Misty cringed to each bug on the list.

"Mantises, dragonflies, grasshoppers…" Ash recalled the list. "They sound pretty cool." Pikachu also wanted to see them. "But how do you lose them?"

"See, after the Goddess Butterfly came to me," Agitha continued. "A swarm of butterflies surrounded all of us. We were all trapped in this butterfly twister before finding ourselves in the forest and scared by a bear." The new information made Ash think.

"Hold on," he spoke before pulling out a red hand-held device. Flaps opened to which Ash began to mess with inside it.

"Ash, you're not thinking that Agitha was attacked by a Pokémon, are you?" guessed Misty.

"It's possible," he assumed. Finally, Ash turned the hand-held to Agitha with a screen showing a large blue bear with a cream stomach. "Was it this?" Agitha took one look at the screen but shook her head.

"No, it was a brown bear," she corrected. Brock heard the detail and came up with an answer.

"Ash, I think Agitha may have run into an Ursaring," he figured. Ash gulped to the information.

"Ursaring?!" he repeated. "You sure?!" He proceeded to do some more work with his hand-held before showing Agitha. "Was it this?" The screen showed the bear that looked like what attacked Agitha.

"Yes!" she responded. "That's what attacked me!" Ash pressed a green button on the device.

"Ursaring, the Hibernate Pokémon," the device computed. "Ursaring is the evolved form of Teddiursa. Despite its large body, it can climb trees as efficiently as humans." Agitha shivered to the description.

"Ursaring are territorial," Brock added. "It's possible that you were near a home of an Ursaring den." The other three gulped to the note.

"So could that Ursaring attack us again?" wondered Agitha. Before anyone could answer, a roar sounded. All turned to find the same bear.

"I think it answered your question!" shrieked Misty. The Ursaring lifted a boulder, tossed it slightly into the air before smashing a fist into it, breaking and scattering rocks at the princess and the trainers.

"Look out!" yelled Ash.

"It's Rock Smash!" shouted Brock. All dove out of the way of the flying rocks. Ash realized Ursaring wouldn't back away.

"If it's a battle you want!" he snapped. "You got it! Heracross, I choose you!" Ash threw a red/white ball out which opened. Out came a big navy blue beetle on its hind legs. Agitha awed the appearance of the bug.

"So big!" she squealed. "I'm in love!" Ursaring charged at Heracross but Ash stood in the ready.

"Heracross, use Tackle attack!" he commanded. Heracross flew at Ursaring and bashed its body into the Hibernate Pokémon.

"That'll knock Ursaring off-balance!" cheered Brock. Ursaring staggered but he became angrier.

"No surprise Ursaring didn't like that," Misty gulped. Ursaring swung an uppercut with an open paw. The claws struck Heracross and sent it flying.

"Heracross!" cried Ash.

"Ursaring used Slash attack!" noted Brock.

"Heracross, stay strong!" pleaded Agitha. Heracross jumped back to its feet.

"Okay, Heracross!" cheered Ash. "We got more in the tank! Use Take Down!" Heracross raced in and delivered a stronger body strike, leveling Ursaring. That's when Ash had an idea. "Brock, bring out Pineco! Leave the rest to Heracross!" Brock blinked to Ash's idea.

"Pineco, you sure?" he questioned. Ash nodded, urging Brock to bring out his red/white ball with a lightning bolt decal. "Okay! Pineco, come on out!" Throwing, the ball opened to reveal a large pine cone with eyes. Ash grinned while hearts appeared in Agitha's eyes.

"Oh, Goddess Hylia!" she squealed. "The bugs here are awe-inspiring!"

"Heracross, carry Pineco to Ursaring!" he ordered. As Heracross snagged Pineco, Ash spotted a light building in the Hibernate Pokémon's snout.

"Careful, Ash!" warned Misty. "Ursaring's using Hyper Beam!" The head's up gave Ash a direction.

"Heracross, use Mega Horn!" instructed Ash. Heracross nodded before lowering the horn to its head. Ursaring fired the Hyper Beam at the beetle, but the horn split the attack. It crashed into the snout before losing Pineco to the body. "Do it, Brock!"

"Good strategy!" grinned Brock. "Pineco, Self-Destruct!" Pineco's body was aglow for a couple of seconds before exploding. Ursaring went flying to the trees behind it. The opposing bear smacked into a tree with a thunderous thud before falling unconscious.

"Yeah!" they cheered. Brock raced to a blackened Pineco who woke from the blast.

"Pineco, that Self-Destruct was perfect," he praised. Pineco chuckled, thinking it wasn't a big deal. Agitha reached Heracross who seemed to be huddling. Ash also saw the position and became a little concerned.

"Are you okay, Mighty Beetle?" she asked. Heracross looked to Agitha, confused to seeing her. Ash arrived, seeing Heracross' face as normal.

"She's a new friend, Heracross," he aided. Heracross nodded before standing up. In its talons were two ants. Like the snails, they were pink and green, both shimmering. "Heracross, what did you pick up?" Agitha's eyes lit to the sight.

"The golden ants!" she identified. She brought her bug cage to where she stored the snails. Heracross allowed the ants to crawl off its talons and into the cage. Misty stood behind Brock at the sight of the ants while Agitha had another verse to sing. "Li'l ant, li'l ant, I might mistake you for a grain and put you in my cereal…"

"If I wanted to question your buggy lifestyle, I think I've been answered," Brock huffed.

"I'm glad that we're nearby," Ash sighed with a smile. Agitha smiled before giving Ash a kiss to the face near his eye. "Whoa, what?!" Misty began to steam at the kiss and confronted Agitha.

"What in the world was that for?!" she yelled.

"A… reward?" she gulped. Misty didn't like the answer.

"A reward?!" she snapped. "For finding the bugs you lost?!" Ash broke the girls away from each other.

"That's enough, Misty!" he growled at his friend. "She came here against her will and you wanna berate her for having bugs?"

"I don't need to repeat myself!" she snapped back. "BUGS BUG ME!" Brock picked Misty up and carried her away for her to calm down.

"I suppose she's a personal insecticide," Ash mulled. The Goddess Butterfly flew down to meet up with Ash. He accepted having the guiding insect by him. "You know, the Goddess Butterfly reminds me of Butterfree sometime ago." The name didn't ring a bell for Agitha.

"Butter… free?" Ash brought out his hand-held again and showed a picture of a purple butterfly with tiny hands and feet.

"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon," it registered. "Butterfree is the final evolutionary form of Caterpie. Its legs are covered by honey it collects everyday." Combining the hand-held's information and Ash's recall, Agitha had a guess.

"You mean to tell me that you had a Butterfree?" she realized.

"I did," Ash sighed. "Butterfree was my first Pokémon after Pikachu. It was with me in my first two Gym Battles with Brock and Misty and was involved with my first Pokémon Trade. When he found a pink Butterfree, the two loved each other and now, he's having the time of his life. Still, I remember he tried to be friends with Misty." Ash looked up to see the sky. "Just imagine how I'm feeling right now thanks to the Goddess Butterfly…" Agitha put her cage down and gripped Ash's hands, praying…

"Goddess Hylia, give the young man the happiest of memories," she wished. Ash smiled, knowing her goodwill. After Misty and Brock returned, Ash made plans after regrouping.

"So, should we make our way to Pollentasia?" asked the Breeder. Agitha blinked to the name.

"Pollentasia?" she repeated.

"Pollentasia's a supposed breeding ground for Bug Pokémon," Misty groaned.

"Who knows," Ash spoke. "Those golden bugs may be there for safety." Agitha nodded, thinking a place like Pollentasia was ideal.

"Let me come," she insisted. "I also want to see all the Bug Pokémon as well." Ash, Brock and the Pokémon looked to each other and agreed.

"Welcome aboard, Agitha!" the raven-haired accepted. Misty groaned to Ash's quick decision.

"Sure, let's bring the Bug Princess to creep me out!" she complained. Regardless, she trailed the growing group. With her golden bugs scattered and the Goddess Butterfly flying ahead, the group have a long trek with a princess in tow.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. No Muchmoney Down

_Chapter 3: No Muchmoney Down_

* * *

Ash, Agitha, Brock, Misty and their Pokémon friends stopped by a lake where Brock began cooking and Agitha fed crushed fruit to her golden ants and snails. Misty came to Agitha with a question. "I don't mean to ask but why do you have all of these… bugs with you?" she wondered.

"The golden bugs that were collected were gonna be in a ball," Agitha explained. Misty blinked to her answer. "It's the first way of meeting their lifelong partners." Misty gulped to the answer, not sure how to interpret it. Meanwhile, Pikachu heard a shimmer and turned, catching Ash's attention.

"You hear something, Pikachu?" he asked. Pikachu turned to the shimmer and spotted a small pink bulldog running on its hind legs, chasing a green dayfly. It had ribbons by her ears. Ash blinked to the sighting. "It can't be…" Brock and the girls turned to Ash after his gasp.

"What is it, Ash?" asked Brock.

"I think I just saw Madame Muchmoney's Snubbull," he pointed. "And it was chasing one of Agitha's bugs." Others blinked to the discovery.

"A Snubbull?" repeated Agitha.

"Are you sure?" questioned Misty.

"You probably saw a wild Snubbull," dismissed Brock. Ash didn't agree.

"No, I'm sure of it!" he argued. "Wild Snubbull don't have ribbons on them." He now wondered about its presence. Agitha wondered about the name of the Pokémon.

"Can you show me what it looks like?" she requested.

"Sure," Ash allowed as he brought his hand-held back out, pulling the bulldog's picture onto the screen.

"Snubbull, the Fairy Pokémon," it registered. "Snubbull acts fearsome to find the little courage it has. Normally, it's playful to be around." Agitha blinked to the name of the creature.

"Doesn't look too much like a fairy," she studied. "But if it's chasing one of my golden bugs, I gotta know why." Agitha led the charge, except for a problem. Pikachu squeaked to alert the Hylian about the direction and that she trotted the wrong way.

"Agitha, over here!" corrected Ash. Agitha blinked before correcting her pursuit. The Goddess Butterfly hitched a ride on Brock's hair. The group searched and listened for either the Snubbull or the golden bug. "Keep an eye and ear out. We'll know where to look." Out of nowhere, a yelp. Misty turned to the sound.

"This way!" she alerted. All galloped in the direction. There, they found a man in a ragged uniform gasping and on all fours. The kids knew he needed aid.

"Mister, are you okay?" questioned Brock. Looking up, they saw the man's exasperated face and gawked.

"Thank you so much," he gasped with a slight British accent.

"Jeeves?" identified Ash. The man heard the name and remembered the three.

"It's you children!" he realized. "Am I glad that you came. I believe other trainers would not have been so generous." Agitha came to Misty, wanting to know the connection.

"Do you know him?" she whispered.

"Jeeves is Madame Muchmoney's butler," she explained. Brock wondered the ordeal.

"So, are you looking for her Snubbull?" he guessed.

"I am," Jeeves confirmed. "After the Madame's Snubbull ran away, we split in order to search and forage for food. Unfortunately, my canteen's dried up." Agitha reached into her bag and pulled a bottle of milk.

"Here you go," she offered. "A little milk should revitalize you." Jeeves took the bottle and guzzled it in one gulp. He gasped for breath, but felt refresh.

"That most certainly hit the spot," he hiccuped. "I don't recall seeing you the last time." Ash came to help with the ordeal.

"This is-" he started before a Tarzan yell broke. Swinging from a vine was a large middle-aged woman with curly lavender hair and rectangular glasses. She wore a red dress that's dirty and ragged.

"I'm back, Jeeves!" she announced before seeing the rest of the group. "Oh, it's you again!" The trainers gawked to seeing the woman.

"Madame Muchmoney?!" they shrieked. Muchmoney laughed to the surprised looks.

"Of course, it's me!" she eased. "I'm glad to see you once more… and in time for lunch!" She pulled mushrooms from a basket on her back. To Brock, a lunch with the mushrooms gave him an idea.

"Let me rustle that into stew and we'll eat!" Muchmoney handed Brock the mushrooms and he started his cooking. During that time, Ash introduced Agitha to Jeeves and Muchmoney.

"I must say, it's an honor to meet a princess from afar," Muchmoney praised.

"Thank you," Agitha accepted. Hearing her story, Jeeves recalled a moment.

"Now that you mentioned it, I did hear a shimmering prior but thought nothing of it," he thought. "It wasn't something I'd normally hear anyway." This made Ash think about why Snubbull left her owner.

"So, what happened after you made that nature park for Snubbull?" he asked. Muchmoney became worried in an instant.

"You see, after I let Snubbull go and play," she began. "I waited weeks on end for my Snubby-Wubby to return… but she never did. I couldn't sleep, couldn't think… couldn't even eat!" Agitha and Misty felt bad for Muchmoney after hearing the news. "I couldn't take it… So, I had Jeeves take me out to find my Snubbull. We climbed the highest of mountains, we swan the deepest of seas and we crossed the driest of deserts." That's when she flexed muscle. "While we haven't found Snubbull, I did find muscles I never knew I had." Jeeves and the girls somewhat freaked out at it.

"That's not right," they shuttered. Ash recalled a sight prior to looking.

"I did see Snubbull with the big ribbons," he added. Muchmoney turned to Ash, hope renewed.

"You did?" she gasped.

"By the riverbank," Ash pointed. "And it was chasing one of Agitha's golden bugs." Muchmoney felt reenergized.

"So, my Snubby-Wubby's here?" she awed.

"I'm sure it is," Ash reassured. Before he could explain further, the Goddess Butterfly flapped to Muchmoney's person, finding another ribbon. "What's up?" Muchmoney pulled the ribbon out with the Goddess Butterfly riding on it.

"It's an extra ribbon my Snubby wears!" she identified. It gave Agitha an idea.

"I think the Goddess Butterfly might know how to help us," she believed. "May I?" Muchmoney offered the ribbon to the blond. Ash figured her plan.

"Pikachu, see if you can get a scent off this," he instructed. Accepting, Pikachu sniffed the ribbon in Agitha's hand. He then sniffed the air to match the odor. Before long, Pikachu made a discovery.

"You found it?" asked Brock. Pikachu led the way where they found Snubbull a short time later by a tree, holding the pair of dayflies.

"Snubbull!" cheered Muchmoney. Snubbull turned to the group with curiosity. "Oh, my precious Snubby-Wubby!" Before Muchmoney could approach, Jeeves spotted the dayflies.

"Madame, wait a minute!" he urged as he grasped Muchmoney's shoulder. "In its paws…" Agitha gasped, realizing her dayflies were safe.

"You found my dayflies!" she cheered. "This is wonderful!" She brought out her cage with the ants and snails. "I need them. Can I?" Snubbull came to the cage where the dayflies flew off from her paws to the cage. "L'il dayfly, l'il dayfly… I want to take your colorful tail and make the loveliest braid ever…" Ash came over to praise Snubbull for making sure Agitha's golden bugs weren't harmed.

"Thanks for making sure nothing happened to those dayflies, Snubbull," he smiled while petting. Snubbull didn't react except for a bark. Suddenly, Brock turned around, finding Misty a few yards away.

"Misty, those bugs are secured, now," he advised.

"I'm not coming!" she nagged. Ash shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Agitha became amused to Ash's quick thinking with the Goddess Butterfly's help.

"I think I found my Link…" she muttered with blushing cheeks. Muchmoney saw her face, giggling to knowing the ordeal.

"Princess?" she called. Agitha turned to the affluent woman who waived her with a finger. She reached Muchmoney. "You sound like you're in need of a prince." Now Agitha's face burned red blushing. "I do wish that he was my son at times. It doesn't take much money to have someone be in love with you." Hearing Muchmoney pun her name, Jeeves chuckled to the statement. Muchmoney saw the humor. "Maybe that was a little much." Jeeves eased before speaking.

"Many apologies, Madame," he murmured.

"No need," Muchmoney shrugged. "You may need to… bug him before you come out. Who knows, maybe those butterflies had a reason for you to be here." Agitha giggled to the response. That's when Snubbull found a scent and began to give chase. All saw the Fairy Pokémon run out. "Where's my Snubbull going?" Misty returned and began to follow, Togepi held in her arms.

"Let's go!" she ordered. All followed to find a tank with the chassis forged like a white cat with a gold coin on the head and boxing gloves for arms. To the trainers, trouble appeared.

"It's Team Rocket!" he alerted. The tank turned to the group arriving.

"We've aroused this Snubbull so prepare for trouble," a woman spoke from inside.

"We have an arsenal full, so make it double!" a man added.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above." The hatch opened where a man and woman emerged, both wearing white uniforms with a red "R" emblem on each.

"Jessie!" announced the crimson redhead. Her hair curled at the end of her long hair.

"And James!" claimed the ice-violet-haired. His hair seemed typical of a normal man's cut.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" The group growled to their appearance.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised you'd show up!" snapped Misty.

"Oh, but you should be!" sneered Jessie. "Since we're gonna take the Snubbull and Pikachu!"

"And we know how to do it!" sneered James as he flung out a fishing line. On the end was a white cat like the tank, but it had paws… and fear on its face.

"Dis isn't what I had in mind about dat Snubbull!" it… or he cried out. This left everyone else puzzled, none more than Agitha.

"A talking cat?" she gulped. Ash itched his head.

"I was kinda wondering where Meowth was," he sighed. Jessie decided to give Snubbull a deal.

"Come on, Snubbull," she pleaded. "I know you want this!" Brock knew as well.

"Snubbull likes to bite Meowth's tail," he realized.

"Don't fall for them, Snubby!" pleaded Muchmoney. Snubbull didn't move.

"What's wrong, Snubbull?" wondered Jessie. "Don't you wanna piece of tail?" Snubbull still didn't move, but she did start to glow. Everyone wondered.

"What's going on?" asked Misty. That's when Snubbull morphed. She grew up, increasing in size. Soon enough, Snubbull became a large lavender bulldog with enormous fangs.

"Snubbull evolved!" gawked Brock. Team Rocket balked to the new Pokémon.

"Dat Snubbull's a Granbull!" shrieked Meowth. Ash grabbed his hand-held and pointed to Granbull. It registered.

"Granbull, the Fairy Pokémon," it computed. "Granbull is the evolved form of Snubbull. Its head is tilted down due to the enormous fangs it grew. In turn, it has a powerful Bite." Granbull growled, making Meowth struggle to free himself. He broke out of the line and rejoined the pair of adults.

"Looks like we can get a grand with the Granbull," Jessie sneered. All three retreated to the tank and turned around. Granbull saw the giant tail and lunged for it.

"Snubby!" cried Muchmoney. Granbull bite the steel tail and held on.

"Granbull may have evolved but she still hasn't gotten over her habit," Brock surveyed. Inside, Jessie had glee.

"Oh, wouldn't it be a shame if Granbull flew from a missile," she teased before hitting a button. The tail disconnected from the tank before flying at Agitha, Granbull still riding. Out of nowhere…

"Look out!" shouted Ash before tackling Agitha out of the path. Muchmoney ran at the missile, still seeing her Pokémon.

"I'm coming, Snubby!" she cried out. However, she's clobbered by her flying Granbull but her newfound build caught Granbull enough to cushion the impact. Both flew off the missile that headed away from everything, but they slammed into a tree. They reeled from the impact. "Is my Snubby-Wubby okay? Or should I say my gruff, tough Granbull?" Her Granbull growled, ready to help out. Agitha and Ash started to rise back to their feet.

"You okay, Agitha?" he asked.

"Yes…" the blond replied with rosy cheeks. Muchmoney decided to strike back.

"Shall we go after them?" she suggested with a wink. Granbull saw the trust with Muchmoney and growled. "Let's go, my Granbull!" With a roar, Granbull charged in. The tank also rushed at the Fairy Pokémon.

"We still have a punch in dis!" scowled Meowth. The punching glove rockets began to ignite. "Fire One! Fire Two!" Both rockets shot out.

"Dodge them!" ordered Muchmoney. Granbull evaded the rockets with ease. "Now, Tackle attack!" Granbull slammed her body into the tank's face. This rattled the tank.

"You're doing great, Madame Muchmoney!" cheered Brock. Muchmoney was ready to finish the bad guys off.

"Now, let's hit them with Dynamic Punch!" she commanded. Granbull wound up her arm that began to glow before delivering a devastating punch that destroyed the control panels. The tank began spinning in circles.

"Stop this spin cycle!" cried James.

"I can't!" claimed Meowth. "Da controls are fried!" After a few spins, the tank hit a tree and stopped. Ash decided to end the charade.

"Pikachu, finish it off with Thunderbolt!" he ordered. Pikachu released a massive blast of electricity, scoring the shot into the hole where the missile launched. It destroyed the tank and sent the group flying.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried. They vanished into the sky. Granbull hugged Muchmoney greatly.

"I'm glad we're together again!" happily cried Muchmoney.

"That's great for you," Misty praised.

"And it's thanks to all of you, even the princess," Muchmoney giggled. Jeeves knew what to do next.

"Madame, shall I get the car?" he asked.

"No, no need," Muchmoney denied. "Granbull and I need our exercise. Let's go, Granbull!" Thrilled, Granbull raced after Muchmoney, humoring everyone. Jeeves now turned to Agitha.

"Princess, I'm certain that you'll find your golden bugs with these lads," he promised.

"Thank you, Sir Jeeves," Agitha replied. Jeeves chased after Muchmoney and Granbull, leaving the group to continue with their journey. Agitha now has three sets of her golden bugs, ¼ of her collection. What will she come across next?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Ninja Ash-assins

_Chapter 4: Ninja Ash-assins_

* * *

Agitha, Misty and Togepi were in a field of flowers and away from Ash and Brock. Agitha released her dayflies to gather pollen. They were the third pair of her golden bugs she gathered after losing them when an Ursaring attacked. She had her snails, ants and now the attack from Team Rocket still bothered her. "Misty, can I ask about those three that attacked us?" she asked.

"You mean Team Rocket?" guessed Misty. Agitha nodded to the guess. "Those guys… They're an organization bent on stealing rare and powerful Pokémon." Agitha blinked to the explanation.

"So they're nothing but a bunch of thieves and kidnappers?"

"Pretty much. Those three in particular have Pokémon been after Pikachu since since Ash's first night as a trainer." Agitha awed the tenacity of Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Is it alright if I ask what a rocket is?" Misty gawked to the question.

"Are… you serious?" Agitha fluffed a nod. "I'm guessing you don't have vehicles back where you're from, huh?"

"Do wagons and horses count as a… vehicle?" The mentioning of a wagon told Misty the timeline Agitha came from.

"I see…" That's when Togepi shrilled, alerting the girls. They walked to Togepi standing in taller flowers. A shimmering sound alerted Agitha. "Togepi, what is it?" Togepi turned around to show a green grasshopper in its stubby arms. This drove Misty back. "BUG!" Agitha had a closer look to the bug on Togepi.

"That's one of my golden grasshoppers." She opened the cage where the grasshopper scented something before one mighty leap into it. "There… Thank you, Togepi." The Spike Ball Pokémon shrilled as Misty returned, thankful to see the bug caged up.

"Togepi, you know how much bugs bug me." Togepi blinked to the rant. However, a pink grasshopper leaped from the flowers and clung onto Misty's face by the nose. Its shimmering sound told Agitha it was the other golden bug she lost. Misty was on the verge of screaming.

"Don't scream, Misty! You'll scare the grasshopper!"

"Then… get… it… off… me… hurry!" Agitha opened the cage to which the grasshopper entered.

"There…" Misty gasped and sighed, relieved that she fought long enough not to startle anything.

"I… _hate…_ bugs." Agitha gave the grasshoppers her verse.

"L'il grasshopper, l'il grasshopper, I'd love to tickle your belly all day long…" Misty sighed once more.

"Do you have a verse for all the golden bugs?"

"Oh, I do!" This made Misty groan.

"This is my nightmare…" Togepi sounded again, this time at a bush. "Now what?" Both rushed over to the bush where the girls became curious.

"What is it?" When Misty took a closer look, she freaked out and screamed from the top of her lungs.

"IT'S A BUG!" Ash, Brock and Pikachu rushed over to see the commotion.

"Agitha!" the raven-haired trainer called out. "Misty!" Agitha turned to the boys while Misty shivered in place from far away.

"What's going on?" asked Brock.

"I'm not sure," a puzzled Agitha shrugged. "Misty looked at that bush and then… she's there." Ash and Brock blinked to Misty's quivering. They peered at the bush themselves.

"The bush does seem a little out of place," Ash studied. Brock pondered as well. That's when Pikachu dug through the bush. Inside freaked Pikachu to retreat. It was a giant red spider with long legs. This spider got even Agitha coming to see it. "What kind of Pokémon is that?" Looking, Brock had a guess.

"I think it's an Ariados," he believed. Ash pulled his hand-held device out and scanned it.

"Ariados, the Long-Legged Pokémon," it registered. "Ariados is the evolved form of Spinarak. It can shoot sticky webs from both its rear and mouth." Learning about Ariados, a new question arose.

"I'll admit, Ariados looks cool," Ash awed. "But it hasn't moved at all."

"No, it's been still this whole time," Agitha confirmed.

"Is it sick?" asked Brock. Out of nowhere.

"Ariados!" a woman shouted. "I found you!" All looked up as a green-haired woman leaped from a nearby tree. She wore a red cloth suit. By her was a purple fuzz ball with large red bug-like eyes and tiny fangs. The group recognized the pair.

"Aya!" gasped Brock. Aya viewed the group.

"Ash, Misty, Brock!" she realized. "It's been awhile."

"It has been," Ash agreed. "You and Venonat seem to be doing alright." Agitha came to Ash with questions.

"Who is she?" the princess asked.

"Agitha, this is Aya," Ash started. "She's a ninja in training with her Venonat. She's the sister of Fuchsia City Gym Leader Koga." Aya cleared her throat for attention.

" _Former_ Fuchsia City Gym Leader," she corrected. The trainers blinked to the update.

"Former?" repeated Misty. "Has something happened to Koga?"

"Yes," Aya replied. "He's been promoted to become a member of the Elite Four. His daughter… or you could imply my niece, Janine is running it now." Ash gawked to the news.

"Koga's got a kid?" he gulped. The news brought Brock to Aya with hearts in his squinted eyes.

"This is perfect!" he cooed. "The ninja may be the silent attacker, but Cupid's the main assassin to shoot love to the both of us!" Aya seemed a bit disturbed. Agitha blinked while Ash and Misty palmed their faces.

"What is Brock doing?" the blond asked. Misty handed Togepi to Agitha before pulling Brock away by the earlobe.

"That has to be the worst flirt I've ever heard!" she snarled. Agitha turned to Ash about the scene.

"Is that how people here… flirt?" she asked.

"Only Brock does it like that," he groaned.

"Oh… Does he do it often?"

"You… have… no… idea." Suddenly, a disturbance. Aya looked around, sensing something.

" _Ariados, begin the test!"_ a man voiced. Ariados woke and began shooting its webs. It flipped around as it strung webbing out of its mouth or its tail.

"Let's go, Venonat!" ordered Aya. Venonat accepted as they ran off to chase Ariados. Sensing a problem, Ash and Agitha began their pursuit. After sometime, Aya picked a time to act. "Venonat, use Poison Sting!" Venonat shook off quills at Ariados. Several rounds missed but some sheared through the webbing. Ariados fell as Aya and Venonat closed in. Agitha saw something ahead.

"It's a trap!" she called out. It wasn't soon enough as Venonat ran into a spider web and fell.

"Venonat!" gasped Aya. As she cleared the web off her partner, Ash wondered what caught Venonat.

"Ariados is more cunning than meets the eye," Agitha studied. "How it created a spider web while falling is impressive.

" _Learn this lesson,"_ the man warned. _"Letting your guard down, even for a moment, can lead to defeat."_ Ash became irritated by the voice.

"Who are you!?" he called out. "Come out and show yourself!" Called out, a gray-haired man in blue. He showed a disappointed face. "Who are you and why are you-"

"It's okay, Ash," Aya settled. "He's my tutor." Misty and Brock finally reached the group.

"You have much to learn, Aya," the gray-haired scorned. Aya dipped her head.

"Yes," she accepted. "I must learn the ancient arts of Pokémon Jujitsu." The name seemed off for the kids.

"Pokémon… Jujitsu?" repeated Agitha. The man turned to the group and invited them to a temple. People and Pokémon gathered to Ash's excitement.

"This is awesome!" he cheered. "There's gotta be 50 different Pokémon out here!"

"And some of these are bugs!" cheered Agitha. The gray-haired scoffed to the joyous pair.

"More than that, Ash," he corrected. "Many trainers and their Pokémon come to my Ninja Academy to learn the ancient skills of Pokémon Jujitsu." The kids joined the gray-haired at a small Japanese house. "Attacks like Ariados' Spider Web and Pineco's Spikes are part of the Pokémon Jujitsu tradition that my students come to learn about." The kids became marveled to the legacy of the academy.

"Aya came here to become stronger and you took her in," Agitha assumed. "Is that right, Sensei Tokichi?"

"Correct, Agitha," the gray-haired mentioned. "I became Aya's tutor to help teach her in the art of Pokémon Jujitsu. You are more than willing to stay and learn." A knock on the sliding door. Opening, Aya emerged with a tray full of cups of tea.

"Sensei, I brought tea," she announced. After placing the tray down, Brock stood up, clasping her hands again.

"Aya, I have a great idea!" he snapped. "You can be my personal sensei and teach me some Pokémon Jujitsu!" Out of nowhere, a bug-catching net snared Brock's head.

"I prefer you to submit," Agitha groaned before flinging Brock and the net out to the open. He landed with a bad thud. No one seemed worried, but Ash saw a chance not to pass up.

"Great idea, Brock!" he snapped. "Why not we stay and learn some of this Pokémon Jujitsu!" Aya saw the cheerful response.

"Of course, you can take classes to learn the techniques," she offered before turning to Tokichi. "Sensei, can they?" Tokichi nodded to the request.

"Do we have to pay a fee to learn?" wondered Misty. Tokichi scoffed to the concern.

"You can have a day of class for free," he brought up. The kids cheered. A little while, all of them changed outfits. All wore the same uniforms like Aya and Tokichi, but with different colors: Ash wore red, Brock wore yellow and Misty and Agitha wore blue. The girls reported to another house where they're joined by other girls and small green spiders with horns on their heads. This made Misty shiver once more.

"I was told this would make me into a movie star…" she quaked. "BUT WHY DID IT INVOLVE SPINARAK?!" She turned to Agitha, not fazed.

"Just relax…" she offered. "I'm sure Ash will like how we look after this."

"Easy for you to say!" One woman stood by the side with instructions.

"You are among the few lucky women who'll experience the wondrous effects of the Spinarak beauty pack," she awed. "Spinarak, begin!" Spinarak spat long strings of webbing at the girls. Misty couldn't move and got snared by the webbing until her head was cocooned. "This Spinarak Web Mask will make your skin smooth and silky… if you can get it off." Misty passed out from the cocooning on her face. After sometime, Agitha easily removed the web mask before turning to Misty, Togepi concerned about his trainer. Soft hands helped Agitha as she removed the web from Misty who still looked unconscious. Night soon fell and everyone shared a room together, all back in their clothes. Misty laid on her back on a bunk bed.

"That was the worst," she murmured. "Wearing Spinarak webbing… Tell me that's not FDA-approved." Brock sat on a bed, a little disheveled. By him was Pineco.

"At least you didn't have Pineco use Self-Destruct in your face," he mulled. Agitha came to see the Bagworm Pokémon.

"Can I hold him?" she wondered as she picked the Pokémon up. Brock panicked, thinking about Pineco's behavior.

"Careful!" he warned. "Pineco's got a habit of exploding!" Agitha petted Pineco, much to Brock's fears. Pineco sounded like it enjoyed the petting.

"She's a wiz with Bug Pokémon," Misty mulled. The Goddess Butterfly flew to Misty and landed on her nose. "Guess you wanted me to feel better." The Goddess Butterfly flitted to the response. Agitha came to Ash.

"Is it alright if I get your opinion of my face?" she requested. Ash remembered that she and Misty enjoyed the beauty class.

"It'll be new to touch a princess' face," he gulped. No glove on, Ash palmed Agitha's face, silky smooth. "That treatment certainly works." Agitha giggled.

"How about this?" she questioned as she rubbed cheeks with Ash. The skin slid smoothly, tickling Ash's face. Misty snarled to the rubbing faces. Pikachu saw something outside and alerted the kids.

"What is it?" asked Misty. Pikachu pointed outside. Ash and Agitha looked out to see Aya and Venonat exercising. This interested Ash and Agitha. They came out to see the pair as they rested.

"I haven't met many trainers that train day _and_ night," he joked. Aya gasped to who came to see the practice.

"Ash!" she hushed. "Agitha!" Venonat hopped to Agitha who petted it.

"You're still working diligently with Aya," she cooed. She handed some Pokémon food to the Insect Pokémon.

"I can tell how you and Venonat have improved since meeting in Fuchsia Gym," Ash studied. Aya smiled but bowed.

"I still have much to learn," she confessed."That's why we practice tirelessly. We want to have the knowledge and understanding to harness the purity of Pokémon Jujitsu." To Ash, it's a scenario he's familiar with.

"The more you keep up," he advised. "I'm sure you'll achieve your goal." Aya felt humbled.

"It's funny that I'm getting advice from someone younger than myself," she giggled. "I'm not sure who my sensei is now." That's when Venonat's white feelers stood up. All saw the feelers raise. "Venonat, you're picking up something?" Venonat journeyed into the woods with the Hylian and the humans behind it. It stopped to reset itself.

"Did you lose the signal?" asked Ash. Suddenly, a shimmering sound.

"What was that?" wondered Aya. Venonat ran to a bush. The trio waited for what the Insect Pokémon found. Venonat returned with two glowing stag beetles crawling around in its hair. Agitha shrilled in delight.

"My Golden Stag Beetles!" she claimed. Venonat walked over to Agitha who gently handled the stag beetles.

"That's the fifth pair of Golden Bugs you need!" cheered Ash. Misty and Brock came to see the ordeal.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Brock. Aya waived the pair over to see Agitha's findings.

"Venonat seemed to have found a pair of beetles," she informed. Agitha petted Venonat for finding her bugs.

"You were a great help for me, Venonat," she praised. Venonat buzzed to the praise. The next morning, the kids were about to leave for the journey toward Pollentasia. "L'il Stag Beetle, l'il Stag Beetle, your spiky pinchers are so sharp! They must feel good…" The verse made Misty creep out.

"That's… pretty disturbing," she hushed. Aya and Tokichi were ready to send them off, Ariados and Venonat by them.

"So, you're going on towards your journey?" questioned Tokichi.

"You bet!" replied Ash. "Besides, we're bound to find the rest of Agitha's golden bugs." Misty growled at the idea.

"I can see you doing so," Aya nodded. "You're welcome to come back if you want anymore lessons with Pokémon Jujitsu." Brock came forward, holding Aya's hands again.

"I know we're going but I want to be your shadow!" he pleaded. "The ninja who will protect you from the dangers that lurk in the outer world!" Misty heard enough and grabbed Brock's ear. The pain from the pull released his grasp.

"Unfortunately for you!" she snapped. "You need to be left in the dark!" Aya knelt to Agitha who shook her head at Brock and Misty's shenanigans.

"Ash is someone who will do anything to finish a job," she whispered. "He'll make sure your golden bugs will be reunited at all cost. Why else is he doing this for you?" Agitha got a hint to Aya's explanation. With a final farewell, the kids departed on their journey. Meanwhile, Team Rocket mulled at Agitha's lack of knowledge.

"The twerpette doesn't know what a Rocket is?" wondered James. "Don't get me wrong, she did sound rather genuine."

"It doesn't help dat she doesn't have anything from dis time," Meowth agreed. "I know she's with da twerps but it bugs me with how she fits with Pikachu's twerp." Jessie scowled to Agitha's mental absence.

"She should know who Team Rocket is!" she bellowed. "We're infamous! A dimwit twerpette can't believe how blond she REALLY is!" The boys grappled Jessie to calm her down.

"Now wait a second, Jessie!" spoke James. "She's not carrying Pokémon! She's probably not from this world!"

"Who cares!" she snapped. "She'll learn not to play dumb with us!" With five of the dozen golden bugs found, Agitha feels like her collection will be back together. With Ash's help, it may. What golden bugs will they find next?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Dragonflyer

_Chapter 5: Dragonflyer_

* * *

Ash and his friends continued their journey to Pollentasia. They stopped at a river to rest and eat. Agitha recently had her golden stag beetles and grasshoppers returned. As they and the Pokémon snacked, another creature decided to drop by: a large red dragonfly with green mask for a face. It landed and began to sip from the stream as the rest watched. "That's a… pretty big dragonfly," Agitha awed. Brock knew the dragonfly's name.

"That's a Yanma!" he identified. Misty watched, not bothered by its appearance.

"A cute one, too," she cooed. Ash brought his Dex out.

"Yanma, the Clear Wing Pokémon," it computed. "Yanma can see in all directions and its wings can flap so fast, the shock waves it generates can shatter windows." Yanma heard the Dex and flew in the direction. However, flew to and intercepted Ash's cap.

"Hey!" he shouted. Yanma flew back around which Agitha had her bug-catching net.

"I got it!" she called. Unfortunately, Yanma flew around the net and flew off. They began to chase when a young blue-haired boy snatched it out of midair.

"Yanma, cut it out!" he yelled. Yanma struggled to free itself. Agitha came to the boy and palmed the Yanma's head. Yanma calmed down a little as the boy snatched the cap back. "Thanks!" Agitha smiled as the boy tossed the cap back to Ash.

"This Yanma is yours?" she wondered.

"More or less," the boy sighed. "I'm Zachary Evans." Ash introduced the group to himself and his friends. Yanma found a chance to free itself and soon flew off. "Not again! Yanma!" Zachary joined in chase before it stopped to munch on some fruit. To Ash, peace could be resolved.

"You have a Pokéball?" he questioned.

"Yeah…" Zachary replied. "Oh!" Bringing out his Pokéball, Zachary aimed it at Yanma. "Return!" The Pokéball beam hit Yanma and entered inside in a red light. Zachary sighed, flustered with the Clear Wing Pokémon. "A window-maker's son shouldn't be in possession of a Yanma." The others blinked to Zachary's frustration.

"A window… maker?" repeated Agitha. All headed into town where there's a discussion among the townspeople. Hearing footsteps, they turned to find Zachary… and not too pleased to the sight.

"Did you get rid of that trouble-making Yanma?" a man in a chef's hat and apron over white clothes ordered.

"It's the fourth time this week that your Yanma broke the windows!" a woman berated. Looking around, the kids found buildings with windows shattered. Zachary frowned to the accusations.

"I'm doing everything in order to get Yanma to stop!" he pleaded.

"Mr. Evans needs to stop hiding behind his own window and deal with you!" the chef growled before snagging Zachary by the collar. Ash had seen enough.

"You put him down, right now!" he demanded. The townspeople turned to the trainers with glares that they would further damage everything.

"Listen, we're all fed up with Zachary and his Yanma!" another man expressed. "He's the one who has to get rid of that troublemaker!" Brock realized reasoning with the townspeople was an uphill battle.

"I guess Zachary's Yanma's made a reputation for itself," he studied. Ash pulled Zachary back from the chef.

"It would've been better if you let that Yanma be!" a woman growled. Having their piece mentioned, the townspeople left. "Karma for window-maker's son!" Ash growled back at the townspeople.

"I gotta imagine how hard it is to be a Yanma trainer," Misty mumbled. "A Pokémon that can shatter windows by flying…" The group soon reached a warehouse and entered to find a blue-haired man approaching. The warehouse was stocked with panes of windows.

"Zachary?" he called out. All turned to the man. "Did you release Yanma?" Zachary feigned to answer. The man sighed to the lack of a response. "Zachary, that Yanma's been a problem since we rescued it last week. I can't have anything destroying my windows be around here! Why couldn't you wait to get a Cyndaquil or a Totodile as your first Pokémon instead?"

"But dad!" voiced Zachary. The father put his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Look, Zachary…" he sighed. "I know you want to make things work with Yanma, but it's hurting my business! It's… never an easy choice for Pokémon Trainers, but sometimes the need outweighs the price. Yanma is that example. That's why releasing Yanma will make sure food's on the table." Agitha heard the father and couldn't agree to the assessment.

"Releasing Yanma won't change a thing," she spoke. Zachary and father glanced to Agitha.

"What do you mean?" the father asked. Instead of answering the father, Agitha turned to Zachary.

"Could you release Yanma?" she asked.

"Sure," Zachary replied as he released Yanma. Agitha offered her arm for Yanma to climb onto. The Clear Wing Pokémon flew onto the arm as expected.

"Yanma's very young," she studied. "When it sees the windows repaired, it thinks that your windows can regrow itself instead of seeing how you process making them. Yanma doesn't know that, and if you release it, nothing will change. Yanma will still break your windows and the townspeople will still be upset with you." This had the Evans pair with a no-win situation.

"But what can we do?" the father asked. "You're telling us we'll have to deal with Yanma regardless if we release it or not." Yanma flew to Zachary in order to cheer him up. That's when Yanma heard something and flew to a corner of the warehouse.

"Yanma?" wondered Zachary. The closer everyone was to Yanma, a shimmering sound echoed. Looking further, there was a glass cage with the tiny pill bugs Agitha lost when she first arrived.

"My golden pill bugs!" she cheered. The Evans father and son seemed befuddled.

"They're yours?" the father repeated. "And they're… what?"

"These are my golden pill bugs that I lost when I was attacked by an Ursaring," Agitha explained. "With them, half of my golden bugs are back with me! L'il pill bug, l'il pill bug, I wish I was smaller so I could roll you around like a ball…" Misty groaned to the latest verse.

"Maybe when we reach to Pollentasia, we can ditch her so that we can go on with our journey," she grumbled.

"So that's what they are," the father studied. "I found them when I repaired the bakery's windows when they made that shimmering sound. Glad I didn't decide to feed them to Yanma." Agitha placed the pill bugs back with the rest of the found golden bugs. That's when one of the townspeople stormed through the warehouse door, angry about an ordeal.

"Mr. Evans!" he yelled. "We've got a problem!" The father and the kids turned to the angry patron.

"What are you talking about?!" the father asked.

"There's a window delivery service that came to town!" the man shouted. "They brought new window panes to fix the latest mess from that Yanma… but they're sheets of ice! You didn't hire them and made them, right?!" The father irked to the information.

"Why would I make windows out of ice, let alone hire a delivery service when I bring them to you?!" he argued. "And besides, Yanma's been with everyone in here! There's no way Yanma's been doing more!" The man gawked to the counter-argument when another came to the door.

"That delivery service is headed to the Pokémon Center!" she voiced. To the trainers, that delivery service was trouble.

"Thanks for telling us!" urged Ash. "Let's go!" All bailed out to a building with a red "P" in the front. Team Rocket eyed the structure, including a stained-glass window with different Pokémon on it: one a pink balloon with limbs, one a sunflower with legs, one a purple monkey with a hand as a tail and a purple butterfly. They dragged a wagon with glass inside. One piece of a five-piece set had yet to be inserted.

"Check dat out!" mewed Meowth.

"It would be a shame if that stained-glass becomes smashed glass," Jessie sneered. James armed himself with some rocks.

"And with this, anything left of that window-maker's reputation will be as shattered as that stained-glass!" he taunted as he hurled the rock upward at the stained-glass window. Out of nowhere, Yanma flew in and slammed the rock, changing the trajectory. It hit the concrete wall and bounced down. The Rockets gawked to the Clear Wing Pokémon's defense.

"Where'd dat Yanma come from!" gasped Meowth. The trainers and Zachary's father came to see the stained-glass window and Team Rocket.

"Them again?" questioned Agitha.

"I should've known," Ash growled.

"Yes, twerp!" snapped Jessie. "You should know that you're no match against us!" Ash knew he had to stop them as Agitha turned to the stained-glass window above the door.

"A butterfly!" she squealed. Misty looked up to see the window as well.

"Aipom…" Misty identified the monkey. She saw the other Pokémon as well. "Sunflora..." she named the sunflower. "Jigglypuff..." she named the balloon. "Butterfree…" she named the butterfly.

"You mean that butterfly is Butterfree?" asked Agitha.

"You bet," Misty confirmed. "In fact, Ash's first caught Pokémon was a Butterfree." Agitha's eyes glistened. "Anyway…" Misty grabbed a Pokéball before hurling it. "Poliwhirl, I choose you!" Her ball opened to reveal a purple humanoid tadpole with a swirl on its abdomem. Ash threw up one of his Pokéballs.

"Chikorita, I choose you!" he summoned. Out came a small green creature with a necklace-formed series of buds and a leaf on its head. Quickly, it jumped up to Ash's shoulders to nuzzle. "Okay, Chikorita… We gotta stop Team Rocket." Chikorita nodded as Jessie and James released their Pokémon.

"Arbok, get in there!" called out Jessie. Emerging was a large purple cobra.

"Victreebel, you too," ordered James. Emerging was a yellow bell-like plant with a vine to a leaf covering the opening, and eyes under the mouth. It also had a pair of leaves by the bottom of the body. However, the plant retreated to try and eat James. "Now's not the time!" Ash made the first move.

"Chikorita, use Tackle!" he ordered. Chikorita raced after Arbok but Jessie knew a counterattack.

"Arbok, Wrap it up!" she commanded. Arbok snagged Chikorita, coiling it. Misty had to help bail Chikorita.

"Poliwhirl, use Bubble!" she called out. Poliwhirl fired a stream of bubbles from its hands. It nailed Arbok and freed Chikorita.

"Victreebel, use your Razor Leaf attack!" commanded James. Victreebel swung the leaves which shot more leaves. They nailed Poliwhirl but it recovered. Agitha had an idea and turned to Ash.

"Do you still have that identifying thing on you?" she called out. Rather than show her how it works, Ash tossed his PokéDex to Agitha who scanned Yanma again.

"Yanma's attacks are Tackle, Double Team and Sonic Boom," it computed. Zachary figured something out.

"I think that's what Yanma's doing the whole time!" he believed. "And I think I can use its habit against Team Rocket." Yanma set itself by Zachary. "Okay, Yanma! Use Sonic Boom!" Yanma flapped its wings hard, creating shock waves which missed Arbok, but found the wagon. It broke the wagon and the panes fell to the ground. Team Rocket became shocked to the sneak attack. One pane glided to the chef who felt ice.

"So, that's it!" he snarled. "I was fooled by these con-artists! You'll pay!" Team Rocket freaked at the sight. It proved to work for a distraction.

"Use Vine Whip, Chikorita!" ordered Ash. Chikorita's beads became vines to slap Arbok away.

"Use Water Gun, Poliwhirl!" commanded Misty. Poliwhirl fired a blast of water, pushing Arbok into Victreebel and to the rest of Team Rocket, knocking them into a pile.

"Now, Pikachu!" yelled Ash. "Hit them with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired and nailed a Thunderbolt at Team Rocket which caused an explosion. Team Rocket began to fly.

"That insecting twerpette is becoming a real buzzkill!" cried Jessie.

"It's no wonder she's becoming a pain," James whined.

"We didn't have a clear view of her luck," Meowth moaned. They flew off into the horizon.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted as they disappeared into the sky. Yanma returned to Zachary who seemed proud of his Pokémon's work.

"Yanma, that Sonic Boom was awesome!" he cheered. Yanma buzzed to the good word. The father glared up to the stained-glass window, thankful that no damage was done.

"I can finish my masterpiece," he muttered to himself. "And Yanma may be worth having around after all." The townspeople came to Zachary, but not out of anger.

"Zachary, we're sorry for all the grief we've placed on you and your dad," the chef apologized. "If you want anything to eat, I'll make sure you get fed."

"Thank you!" replied Zachary. As the town returned to normal, a pink-haired young woman came out of the Pokémon Center.

"Excuse me!" she voiced. All turned to the pink-haired young woman wearing a nurse's outfit and her hair fashioned with loops. In her arms were two glowing dragonflies. All Brock saw was a loving woman.

"Nurse Joy!" he cheered as he reached the nurse. "I wondered if I'll ever get treatment for loneliness! Now I may have that-" Brock stopped when he felt his ear pulled by Misty.

"I wish there was treatment for chronic stupidity," she mulled while she held Togepi in her other arm. Agitha looked to the container and saw the dragonflies.

"Nurse, did they come here?" she asked.

"They did," Joy replied. "Since I've taken care of a lot of Bug Pokémon, these two just needed something to snack on." Agitha brought out her cage. Both opened their containers and the dragonflies flew to join the rest of the golden bugs.

"Thank you so much!" she cheered. "My seventh pair of golden bugs are back! L'il dragonfly, l'il dragonfly, you look at me with those great big eyes, I-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!?" screamed Misty. "Every time we find one of your bugs, you break into a verse! Once all your bugs are back, we're LEAVING YOU!" Agitha stood in shock and scared to tears.

"MISTY WATERFLOWER!" yelled Ash. Misty gawked to the yell and turned to Ash who gave her a stare that made her stiff.

"You know something got under his skin when he uses the full name," Brock gulped.

"I don't know what's going on between you and Agitha, but never…" Ash started. "NEVER tell someone who we're trying to help to simply SHUT UP! You're lucky I've been emotionally in check until now! Maybe you would've been better off back in Cerulean!" Misty shuttered at Ash's comeback. She couldn't believe Ash would yell at her with the authority he bellowed.

"Ash is… mad…" Zachary gulped.

"Some people can lose it when they're trying to do the right thing," the father sighed. The Pokémon seemed a little spooked to the yelling. That night, Ash sat alone on a bed while Pikachu sat on the drawer.

"That was the first time I yelled at someone, Pikachu," he muttered. Pikachu understood that he got upset at Misty for how she snapped at Agitha. Speaking of, Agitha entered the room, her set of golden bugs in her cage and the Goddess Butterfly by her shoulder. "Are you okay, Agitha?"

"A little," she replied. "I was… a little scared when you got angry." Ash nodded but shook his head.

"I've never been so mad in my life. I'm sorry if I lost my temper. I bet as a princess, it's gotta be frustrating to keep everything in line." Agitha dipped her head, shamed to her title.

"Zelda must know how to be a princess. I could learn in order to be one myself." Ash blinked to the information.

"Wait, are you saying that… you're _not_ a princess?" Agitha nodded with tears streaking from her eyes, startling the trainer and Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon squeaked to ask Agitha.

"I'm not a member of a royal family. All I am is a girl fascinated by the golden bugs that existed around Hyrule. I guess I let my fantasy start becoming a reality. Misty's right to call me out but…" Instead of letting her finish, Ash hugged Agitha. This surprised the blond. "Ash?"

"If it makes sense, I want you to be you." Agitha gawked to Ash's kind words. "I don't mind if you're a princess or not. You're kind to your bugs and Bug Pokémon." Agitha smiled before hugging Ash back.

"I don't deserve you at all. I want to see Pollentasia and support you, no matter what." Ash appreciated her love. Agitha has been freed of a label she had no reason to own. Ash still wanted to help her get the last five pairs of bugs. What else awaited the group on their way to Pollentasia?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Skip to my Loom

Chapter 6: Skip to my Loom

* * *

Ash, Misty, Brock, Agitha and the Pokémon have stepped out of the Pokémon Center. Agitha confessed to Ash that she's not really a princess as she claimed. They may have exited the Center but Ash still had everyone by the front door. "Ash, what is it?" asked Brock. Ash spun his head to Misty, still upset over her outrage at Agitha.

"We're not going until Misty apologizes to Agitha," Ash demanded.

"Wait, why should I apologize?" argued Misty.

"What you said crossed the line," Ash pointed out. "Agitha may be here against her will and I invited her to join us but that gives you no reason to lash out. We know you have Bug Pokémon but this is my business that you just need to be patient on. Besides, we've got five more pairs of her golden bugs to find." To Misty, the journey for Agitha was almost over and turned to Agitha.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she finally apologized. "I was… a little out of line." Agitha nodded to the apology.

"Now that we have our apology out of the way," Brock sighed. "Let's get going!" The group traveled down the road where they saw a lot of leafy Pokémon.

"Check it out!" the raven-haired called. They found Sunflora, blue armless pods with grass for hair, yellow bell-shaped creatures with roots for limbs and larger blue pods with red buds on crowns.

"There's a bunch of Grass Pokémon having the time of their lives," Brock noticed. "Oddish, Gloom, Sunflora, Bellsprout…" That's when a green pod with a yellow flower on its crown raced at the group.

"There's a Skiploom," chuckled Misty. It came to the group where Ash scanned it.

"Skiploom, the Cotton Weed Pokémon," it registered. "Skiploom is the final evolutionary form of Hoppip. Skiploom tends to float in the air to reach the sun." The Goddess Butterfly flew to meet Skiploom before someone else arrived.

"Skippy!" called out a blue-haired boy. Skiploom turned and returned to the boy who saw the group. "Hey! You passing through?"

"We are," Ash confirmed. "That Skiploom's yours?"

"It is," the blue-haired boy acknowledged. "Name's Ephraim." Ash helped with the rest of introductions. "It's nice to meet all of you. Hey, Ash… Wanna battle?" Ash smiled to the challenge.

"You bet!" he agreed. Ash released Chikorita. Both Pokémon charged in… but after a fast battle, Chikorita still stood.

"Skippy!" cried Ephraim. Skippy had swirls in its eyes. Ash and Pikachu ran to Skippy to make sure the Pokémon was okay. Skippy did come around.

"Looks like Skippy will need some rest, but it'll be fine," Brock studied. "A trip to the Pokémon Center will help."

"Don't worry," Ephraim assured. "My parents have what Skippy needs." They reached a home where they're greeted by a hippy green-haired man and a brunette woman. "Mom! Dad!" The couple turned to see Ephraim and the gang. They invited the kids inside.

"Thanks for making sure Ephraim wasn't hurt," the father mentioned. "He and Skippy have been training tirelessly for the upcoming tournament." To Ash, this was a great opportunity.

"A tournament?" he repeated.

"Yes!" the mother confirmed. "See, there's a tournament for only Grass Pokémon." As Ash listened to the description of the tournament, a shimmering sound tickled Agitha's ears.

"Another one?" she wondered. Listening, she traveled to a flower garden with a pair of Sunflora, a pink pod with leaves and a pair of tiny green human-like creatures with flowers blooming on their heads and wearing blades of grass like skirts. She listened to the shimmer and came to the flowers where Misty and Togepi reached the garden.

"Agitha?" she asked. That's when the shimmer brought her to Agitha as two shining butterflies on flowers. Agitha waived Misty over to show her the finding. "Are those butterflies?"

"Golden butterflies. The pollen's so rich here, it would attract these two."

"Makes us glad we did come." The green butterfly flew to Misty but landed on Togepi's face, tickling the baby Pokémon. "These are bugs that I can deal with." Misty offered her hand and the butterfly took the ride. Misty giggled, humored to the butterfly's appearance.

"L'il butterfly, l'il butterfly, I want to be wrapped up in that powder too…" Misty stood to turn to Agitha who opened the cage. The butterflies flew in.

"Eight pairs now. Four more and your whole set's back." Togepi wanted to see the bugs as well. Ash and Ephraim met up with the girls.

"Did I hear you finding more golden bugs?" asked Ash.

"We did," Misty confirmed. "Golden butterflies… A bug I can tolerate."

"Is that so?" teased Ephraim. "Anyway, I convinced Ash to participate in the tournament we have tomorrow. Ash told me he'll enter Bulbasaur." Agitha awed Ash's chance to show his skill but Misty seemed doubtful.

"Ash, don't you need some training?" she questioned. Ash scoffed to the suggestion.

"Misty, I've been in the Indigo Conference," he reminded. "A local tournament's gonna be a walk in the park." He left with a strut, leaving the rest stunned.

"Wow…" shuttered Misty. "That's what I call confidence." To Brock, the tout seemed excessive.

"Maybe a little too confident," he weighed. Ephraim's smile grew.

"Ash can talk the talk," he sneered. "But let's see him walk the walk. Skippy, let's continue." Skippy's chirp allowed the two to run off. The next day was the tournament held in a stadium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer shouted. "Welcome to the 45th annual Pokémon Grass Tournament! The rules are simple: the Pokémon must be a Grass Pokémon to enter. Each match is a straight one-on-one battle. The winner of the tournament will take home this trophy and a set of Leaf Stones." The table had a silver cup-like trophy with gray stones having green leaves imprinted inside. Ephraim's stepped onto the battlefield, facing a disguised James, looking like someone from a Persian palace. "Local trainer Ephraim and his Skiploom will take on Semaj and his Victreebel in the first round." James began the battle.

"Victreebel, use Take Down," he started. Victreebel charged at Skippy and blasted the Cotton Weed Pokémon with its body. Skippy recovered but James continued his attack. "Now let's Vine Whip them into shape!" Victreebel flung the vine at Skippy who dodged each one barely.

"Don't give in, Skippy!" pleaded Ephraim. "Use Leech Seed!" Skippy sprouted a seed and shot an arc that found Victreebel's leaf. The seed sprouted vines that ensnared the Flycatcher Pokémon.

"Oh no!"

"Skippy, use Double Team!" Skippy had a brief flash before a bushel of Skiplooms speeding and surrounding Victreebel. It made Victreebel dizzy and done for, falling with swirls. Skippy reformed to just one.

"Victreebel is out!" the announcer judged. "Skiploom goes on!" Ephraim's parents cheered for their son's victory. Ash came out to the battlefield for his match. He faced Jessie, also disguised with her face behind a veil, with an unusually small Sunflora. Ash's Pokémon was a blue four-legged creature with a green bulb. "Ash is here for the second round as he takes on Eissej and her tiny Sunflora." The Goddess Butterfly flew around the unusually small Sunflora before flying back to Ash. This had Jessie fuming.

"Hey, get that insect out of there!" she complained. "Ref!" Ash nodded to the Goddess Butterfly, sensing something suspicious.

"Got it," he whispered. "Head back to Agitha. I'll take care of things here." Ash faced Jessie, ready to battle as the Goddess Butterfly flew back to the stands.

"Why do you think the Goddess Butterfly flew to Ash?" asked Agitha. Brock also wanted to know.

"Sunflora, use Fury Swipes!" ordered Jessie. Sunflora charged in, swinging leaves wildly. The bulb creature turned to Ash for instructions.

"Not yet…" he advised. Sunflora came closer, swinging the leaves. Ash decided it was time. "Now, Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur fired an array of leaves which seemed to pass by Sunflora. However, it shredded a disguise, revealing Meowth. The stadium gasped to the discovery, even Meowth.

"I've been uprooted!" he mewed in panic. The announcer couldn't believe what he saw.

"That Sunflora is a fake and it's actually a Meowth!" he reported. "And according to the rules, Eissej is disqualified!" This gave Ash's friends a clue to the Goddess Butterfly's purpose.

"The Goddess Butterfly knew it wasn't a Sunflora?" gawked Misty.

"Never underestimate the insect's instincts," Agitha warned. Jessie and James removed their disguises, now with nothing else to lose.

"Okay, forget the clean way!" she nagged. "Let's get the stones!" Team Rocket charged at the table with the trophy and Leaf Stones. Ash wasn't having any business with the trio.

"You'll get nothing!" he roared. "Heracross, Horn Attack!" He threw his Pokéball and unleashed Heracross who rammed the trio, knocking them out of the stadium.

"If you knew more attacks, we wouldn't have been weeded out!" the redhead blamed Meowth.

"I'd do a better job cutting da grass!" the Alley Cat Pokémon growled.

"It's better than getting a pay cut from the boss!" cried James. All three left the scene.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off againnnn…" they yelled. Ash pumped his fist, accomplishing the stop of Team Rocket.

"Aside from Team Rocket running interference like always," Brock studied. "I can see Ash going all the way without any training. He and Bulbasaur are in sync!"

"I thought he was acting cocky but we're witnessing great work between the two," Misty awed. "Though I think Agitha being in the room with Ash the other night might have some influence." The referee in the orange shirt came to Ash as did Heracross.

"Normally, we'd disqualify you for using a different Pokémon," he warned. "But since you used Heracross to stop the three from taking the Leaf Stones, we'll give you a free pass." Ash nodded. The tournament continued with Ash and Ephraim winning battle after battle until the two reached the Championship Match.

"We have arrived at the Final!" the announcer bellowed. "Two skilled trainers and their Grass Pokémon have dazzled their way to last round: Veteran Trainer Ash and his powerful and precise Bulbasaur versus local trainer Ephraim and his speedy Skiploom!" As the two boys got ready, Brock sensed something ominous.

"I have a feeling this match won't end the way we think it will," he predicted. The girls turned to Brock, wondering what led to his feeling. Ephraim started the match.

"Skippy, use Tackle!" he ordered. Skippy raced after Bulbasaur.

"Use Vine Whip!" commanded Ash. Bulbasaur launched vines to whip Skippy, but Ephraim's Pokémon dodged each swipe. Skippy landed a blow on Bulbasaur, staggering him. He recovered. "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur fired Razor Leaf, clipping Skippy. Recovering, Ephraim made the next move.

"Skippy, Double Team!" Skippy created multiples of itself and surrounded Bulbasaur.

"Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur flung his vines and struck the copies which vanished. Almost instantly, they reappeared. Ash gawked to the reappearing images. "Whoa, Skippy's speed's a lot better! But it's not enough!" A Vine Whip tagged Skippy and it reeled. Ephraim seemed to panic at Skippy's pain.

"Not again…" Ash decided to give Ephraim a break.

"How about we stop? I don't want to hurt Skippy anymore." Agitha seemed in shock at Ash's mercy.

"Chivalrous…" she awed. Ephraim wanted to continue.

"Skippy, I want to win this," he told his Pokémon. "We've never given up, and I don't wanna start now!" Skippy began absorbing light in the flower. Ash seemed to have been left little option.

"Well, I can't say I didn't warn you," Ash sighed. "Bulbasaur, Tackle!" Bulbasaur came rushing at Skippy who suddenly fired a white beam from the flower. Bulbasaur couldn't evade the beam and got blasted. He fell unconscious.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle!" the referee judged. "Skiploom wins!" The crowd cheered as Ash looked on stunned.

"I didn't know Skippy could use Solar Beam," he gulped. The announcer and the Nurse Joy presented Ephraim and Skippy with the Leaf Stones and trophy. Ash shook hands with Ephraim as the rest of his friends rejoined him on the stadium floor. Ash and his friends stayed at the Pokémon Center a block from the stadium. The Goddess Butterfly guided Ash and Pikachu to a room. He knocked. "Anyone in there?"

"Yes!" answered Agitha. Ash opened the door to see Agitha monkeying around with the radio. It made him and Pikachu curious.

"What are you doing with the radio?" Agitha blinked as she turned to Ash.

"What's a radio?" Ash nearly stumbled over from the response. "You mean all the crates I've seen in Hyrule are… radios?"

"I… seriously doubt it." He came over to Agitha and placed the radio on the table. "How do I explain this… A radio allows us to listen to news and information, as well as play music." Agitha gasped to the sound. "You first need to turn it on." He flipped a switch. "Then the tuning dial to find a station." He turned the dial slowly. Suddenly, a classical was playing and Agitha became excited.

"Sounds a lot like back home in Castle Town." Quickly, she clasped Ash's hands. "Let me show you a Hylian dance that I know you'll love." In a surprising move, Agitha removed her tiara and bands. Her blond hair fell to her waist, awing Ash and Pikachu. The blond got close to Ash, guiding his hands on her shoulder and waist. "Just follow my lead and you'll dance like a Hylian." The music played, the two danced and Pikachu had a great show.

"This is rather relieving after losing to Ephraim." The dancing lasted minutes but Ash and Pikachu were learning about what dances she learned. Agitha has eight of her twelve pairs of golden bugs, and Pollentasia is closing in fast.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. An Apple in my Eyes

_Chapter 7: An Apple in my Eyes_

* * *

The new morning began with the rise of the sun. Misty opened her eyes to find that she's alone in her room. To her, the boys were eating breakfast. "I guess I must've slept later than normal," she moaned, waking Togepi. As she crawled out of bed, Brock entered the room.

"Misty, you're awake?" he wondered.

"Yeah, did I miss breakfast?"

"No, I'm nearly done preparing. Ash must be checking on Agitha. He'll probably be coming out soon." Misty gulped to the assumption and journeyed to Agitha's room. There, she found Ash and Agitha in the same bed, still asleep. However, Agitha's lips were pressed onto Ash's face. Misty gawked to seeing Ash with Agitha, she fumbled Togepi who landed on the ground but on his feet. Her anguish became anger.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Her shout stirred the other two awake. Brock heard the shout and suspected something happened between the three.

"Somehow, I don't want to know," he gulped. After everything became straightened between everyone, including apologies from Misty to those who stayed at the Pokémon Center. As the group left, Agitha could only wonder where her last sets of golden bugs are.

"My ladybugs," she listed. "My beetles, my phasmidas, my mantises…" The names made Ash turn to Agitha for comfort.

"We'll find them," Ash assured. "They may be waiting in Pollentasia as we speak." Agitha nodded, willing to believe him. Pikachu looked from Ash's shoulder to find trees full of growing apples. His squeaking caught everyone's attention.

"Pikachu, what's up?" asked Brock. Pikachu pointed to the apples where everyone looked. Ash realized what they've walked upon and he seemed excited.

"Check it out!" he shouted. "It's an orchard!" Everyone gawked and admired the apples that look ripe.

"I can't imagine the sales this place makes with apples this fresh!" awed Brock.

"Some of these would feed my bugs for at least a year!" added Agitha. Pikachu led Ash to the orchard while the others watch.

"Hold on, Pikachu!" he called out.

"Wait, Ash!" warned Misty. "You can't just go in and eat the apples! That's theft!" Ash didn't feel bothered by Misty's advice.

"It's not illegal to look!" he answered. Pikachu ran for a little while before he heard a rustle. Rattles alerted Pikachu to look up. Before he could blink, apples vanished. It made the Mouse Pokémon curious. Just then, cores of apples fell from the trees as the kids caught up with them. They gasped at the apple cores that laid by Pikachu's feet.

"Oh no!" hushed Agitha.

"I guess Pikachu wasn't content on just looking," Misty sighed. Brock crossed his arms.

"I'm surprised at you," he groaned. "I can understand that you're hungry but you can wait until I fix something!" Pikachu shook his head, denying the allegations and pointing up to the trees. Agitha looked up, getting an idea to Pikachu's claim.

"Pikachu believes something's in the trees eating the apples," she tried to understand. Another apple fell from said trees.

"I think you're right, Agitha," Misty believed. It fell into Pikachu's arms. Ash's partner freaked at seeing a new apple. Just as they wanted Pikachu to remove the apple, a fishing net snared the Pokémon.

"Gotchca, you little apple thief!" a young woman shouted. Out of nowhere came a young purple-haired woman in orange overalls over a white shirt. "Finally caught you red handed thanks to my noisemakers." Brock saw an opportunity to find love and rushed to her.

"I found the apple in my eyes, and where else but in an orchard would I find her!" he cheered while showing love-sickness. That's when he bowed to the woman. "Please accept my apology! My friend's Pikachu deserves punishment that you see fit!" Pikachu protested Brock's swooning offer. Ash took Pikachu's side, trusting his partner while Agitha grabbed Brock's ear and dragged him away.

"Excuse me while I dispose of this rotten apple," she mulled. In pain, Brock submitted his will to Agitha's yank. Ash confronted the woman about the accusation.

"Anyway, I believe Pikachu," he voiced. "And if he says he didn't do it…"

"Rather hard to deny when he's holding the evidence in his paws," she pointed out. Ash didn't believe the suspicion and removed the net.

"Let me see," he asked. Pikachu handed Ash the apple for a closer look. The apple had two fang scrapes. "Interesting… Pikachu, open your mouth as wide as you can." Complying, Pikachu opened his mouth where Ash studied the bite marks to Pikachu's fangs. He saw the bite marks shorter than Pikachu's mouth. "See? There's no way Pikachu bit into this apple. The bite marks are too close together!" The woman also looked and saw the evidence.

"That's true," she studied. Her accusation fell and soon, she became apologetic. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that!" Misty sighed, knowing Pikachu was cleared.

"Glad that worked out," she huffed. The woman glanced to the apple trees.

"It's so hard to keep up with the orchard and make sure my apples aren't stolen," she claimed. "That's why I hung noisemakers when my fruit's poached." Ash and Misty understood her dilemma. All followed the woman to a cottage deep within the orchard.

"Charmaine, how long ago has this been going on?" asked Agitha.

"About a few weeks ago," the purple-haired replied. "I do a lot to keep the orchard in shape and now that it's harvest time, the apples mean more than ever to me."

"That's a lot of work for one person," Ash gulped.

"It is," Charmaine sighed. "However, I had this interesting find the other day. As I checked the noisemakers, I heard a shimmering sound. I looked to see what I thought were miniature Scythers, like babies… but they were too small and one was-"

"Pink?" gasped Agitha.

"Yes and green!" confirmed Charmaine. "I stored them in a container with some leaves they munched on. They're over here." Charmaine brought a case with mantises inside.

"Yep, those are definitely not Scyther," Brock believed. "But their close resemblances means we found the golden mantises." Agitha brought each mantis from Charmaine's cage to hers.

"Lil mantis, li'l mantis," she sang a verse. "If I had sickles like that, I could slice onions better…" The rest sighed, expecting this from Agitha. That's when she had more. "Charmaine, since you found my golden mantises, we can help you with the apples!" Charmaine seemed in awe about the offer.

"Okay!" she agreed. All had baskets around their back. Looking up, they found a series of noisemakers strewn throughout the trees.

"So what's the purpose of the noisemakers?" questioned Misty.

"They're my many alarms for when Flying Pokémon like Pidgey and Spearow," Charmaine added. Before long, the noisemakers rattled. The collective shaking told Charmaine where the culprits were.

"That didn't take long," Ash warned.

"It's this way!" urged Charmaine. All began to chase the sound before they stopped rattling. This angered Charmaine. "Not again!" That's when Pikachu's ears caught sound of eating. He raced after the sound. That's when he found tiny yellow mice munching on the apples. He squeaked to alert the mice, who all turned to Pikachu waiving a finger and scolding them. The rest arrived to see the litter.

"What are they?" asked Agitha.

"It's a litter of Pichu!" answered Ash. He brought the PokéDex to scan.

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon," it listed. "Pichu is the pre-evolved form of Pikachu. While able to produce electricity, Pichu are unskilled in controlling its voltage and can shock themselves." The litter gave everyone a thought to the vanishing of the apples.

"So a litter of Pichu were the ones that ransacked my orchard?" wondered Charmaine. Suddenly, caws from above alerted all. In the sky were brown sparrows with an orange vulture with a red crown staring down at the orchard.

"That's a flock of Spearow!" gawked Misty.

"And I bet that Fearow's the leader," Brock growled. With a caw from the vulture, the Spearow flew to the orchard. The Pichu leaped into the trees, confidence brimming as they set themselves. The Spearow were within reach when the Pichu emitted electricity, zapping the birds. They flew away, scared. However, the Pichu staggered and plopped.

"That was Thunder Shock!" noted Ash.

"Yes, but like Dexter said, the Pichu shocked themselves," Brock reminded. The vulture cawed angrily and flew down at the orchard. Another Pichu jumped up to defend the rest and offer its own dose of Thunder Shock. It nailed the vulture but not enough as it shook off the shock. However, Pichu also fell from the shock.

"The Fearow!" shouted Misty. "Pichu can't do it alone!" Pichu looked helplessly as Fearow closed in on Pichu. Pikachu jumped in front.

"Now, Pikachu!" ordered Ash. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired his Thunderbolt, blasting Fearow. The electric blast hurt Fearow where it flew in retreat. "Nice work!" When the Pichu recovered, they brought the apples they plucked from the orchard. One Pichu squeaked in an apology.

"Why would a litter of Pichu want your orchard?" wondered Agitha. That's when a collection of rumbling stomachs hinted to Brock.

"They must be starving," he pointed out. Charmaine recalled something as she cupped her chin.

"Come to think of it," she started. "I read in the newspaper that the season's colder than normal in the mountains. The fruit up there hasn't grown naturally, if at all." Pikachu now worried about the Pichu. To Charmaine, she didn't want to turn down helpless Pokémon. She decided to let the Pichu have the apples picked. The Pichu seemed concerned.

"Charmaine wants to feed you so that you're not hungry," Agitha translated. Excited, the Pichu got to and ate the apples.

"Look at them go!" laughed Misty. "The Pichu can't get enough!" Charmaine mulled to the sight.

"That's the problem," she murmured. "The Pichu will eat the apples faster than I can pick them. I feel sorry for them but…" Ash palmed Charmaine on the shoulder.

"I've got an idea," he plotted. A while later, flock of small red pigeons found the orchard. They closed in on the apples. "Okay, here they come!" The Pichu prepared from the trees. They all used Thunder Shock. It proved effective as the pigeons flew back in retreat. However, the Pichu zapped themselves again, the lack of skill in controlling their Thunder Shock attacks showing up. To the rest, Ash's plan with the Pichu worked.

"The Pidgey didn't stand a chance," Agitha awed.

"Ash was right," Charmaine cheered. "The Pichu are doing exactly what Ash and Pikachu are training them to do!" Brock and Misty smiled to the effort.

"They must be paying you back for all the fruit they stole," Misty believed. Ash emerged from the trees with Pikachu and a Pichu on each shoulder.

"And that's not all," he grinned. "Pikachu, time for stage two. You ready?" Pikachu squeaked to the next step. Hopping down, Pikachu climbed a tree and picked an apple. The Pichu litter watched curiously. Pikachu climbed back down from the tree and placed the apple in a crate. With a few extra squeaks, the litter got the information before climbing the trees themselves and picking the fruit. They stored the apples in crates like Pikachu instructed. Agitha giggled to the sight.

"It's adorable to see, even if Ash is the one for this wannabe princess," she admitted. Misty and Brock gawked to the new confession.

"You're NOT a princess?" the breeder repeated.

"I guess you could say the way the bugs love me, I kinda felt like a princess like Zelda," she explained. "Also, I was a tad jealous of Zelda so…" Charmaine petted Agitha on the head.

"Since we know you better now, that's all that matters," she eased. Turning, she wondered about Ash's training with the Pichu. "I'm starting to see why you wanted to help me and the Pichu." Ash smiled with his plan working.

"Instead of being enemies," he pointed out. "You and the Pichu can become partners like me and Pikachu." The Mouse Pokémon squeaked with a smile. That's when one Pichu came down to alert the humans.

"What is it, Pichu?" asked Misty. Pichu pointed to a direction before leading the group.

"Did Pichu find something?" guessed Charmaine. All followed the Pichu when they heard shimmering noises.

"I think we found another of Agitha's golden bugs," Brock figured. Pichu picked an apple which had a pink and a green dot on it. Agitha came to Pichu who gave her the apple.

"They're my golden ladybugs!" she announced. The rest came over to where the pink ladybug flew onto Togepi. It tickled the Spike Ball Pokémon, causing a laugh.

"Only two more pairs to go!" determined Ash. With another golden bug found, Agitha had another verse.

"Li'l ladybug, li'l ladybug," she sang. "If I was smaller, I would get on your back and we'd fly around…" Misty giggled, knowing that her songs only had two more verses. Sometime later, and with her newly found ladybugs, the gang were set to get on the move.

"Pollentasia, huh?" repeated Charmaine.

"That's right," Ash confirmed.

"Luckily, you're almost there," Charmaine pointed. "It's down the road. There's a Pokémon Center that will be among the path. You'll be there by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks again, Charmaine," Misty praised. After their farewells, Ash and the gang were making the last strides to Pollentasia. To Agitha, she hoped to see the rest of her bugs as the Goddess Butterfly perched herself on a pigtail. Misty hoped the Bug Pokémon don't crawl on her. All that waited with the group was a paradise… or a nightmare.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. Pollentasia, Molding Love

Chapter 8: Pollentasia, Molding Love

* * *

After their latest stop at the Pokémon Center, the Trainers and Agitha continued on their journey. After breakfast, the troupe headed out to finish the leg of the journey as they found statues on the pathway. One was a caterpillar with a circular snout and the other was a worm with a spike on its head. "Statues of Caterpie…" trembled Misty about the caterpillar. "And Weedle…" To Brock, they've arrived.

"It's the entrance to Pollentasia!" he cheered. "Finally, we've arrived at the breeding grounds of great Bug Pokémon!" He sprinted ahead to see some action.

"Brock, wait up!" called out Agitha. She raced on after Brock with Ash following behind. Misty wasn't so sure about entering.

"Oh, woe is me…" she whined before pursuing the rest. The trail led the group through trees where numerous Bug Pokémon found a place, some to call home.

"Look at this!" awed Ash. "All these Bug Pokémon… gathered here… Amazing…"

"Sure, to eyes of those who don't mind a bug in your jeans," scoffed Misty. The further they proceeded, the more Bug Pokémon emerged. There were some Yanma flying with Butterfree, some Venonats with Caterpies and Weedles and green pods attached to trees with yellow cocoons.

"Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod," Ash listed with the inclusion of the pods. "Kakuna…"

"We've seen them back in Kanto, as well as Beedrill," Brock added. They soon came to a circle of trees with a wonderland of Bug Pokémon found. Green mantises with sharp scythes for arms, brown critters with horizontal teeth and spiked curved pincers on their heads, red ceramic turtle shells with soft heads and limbs protruding out… All the Bug Pokémon made Agitha felt like she belonged in Pollentasia.

"The bugs here…" she awed. "I feel like the goddesses wanted me to be here… Oh, how I wish I could stay and help these creatures with what dilemmas they've faced!" Misty sighed to Agitha's wish.

"Fine, stay here as long as you like…" she yawned. Togepi alerted Misty to something below. "Togepi?" Seeing the stubby arm pointing down, Misty turned to a red caterpillar with a horn on its head and two on the tail. It had a few by her feet and behind were white insectoids. These had pointed snouts with whiskers that scrape the ground and also had small green wings. Misty's fears of the Bug Pokémon surfaced as she screamed at the top of her lungs, dropped Togepi and dashed up a tree. Togepi landed on the caterpillar before sliding down. The sight of these two got others curious.

"What kind of Pokémon are they?" asked Ash.

"I'm not sure," Brock shrugged. Ash brought his PokéDex out to scan the two.

"No data," it registered. The men and Agitha looked confused to the inability to register a Pokémon. They tried the insectiod. "No data." Brock had a feeling about the two new Pokémon.

"They must be from a different region," he guessed. "I'll take pictures of them and send them to Professor Elm."

"Good idea," Ash agreed. Brock pulled a camera from his vest and snapped a few pictures. Togepi enjoyed the buzz the caterpillar gave him. Agitha looked behind her, finding a pink Heracross with a heart-shaped horn.

"Another Heracross, but what's wrong with it?" she asked. The boys turned around to find the Heracross as well.

"I doubt any of us have seen a Heracross like this," Brock shrugged. "Although, I've seen Heracross horns like those, meaning this is a female Heracross." That helped in knowing the Big Horn Pokémon as a girl. That's when they heard shimmering from the Heracross. "Sounds like some more golden bugs are close by." Heracross leaned down, lowering her horn. There were two golden beetles on there. Agitha became excited.

"My golden beetles!" she cheered. "You've been taking care of them?" The Heracross buzzed bashfully to the praise. Agitha had a verse ready as she had one more pair of bugs to find. "Li'l beetle, li'l beetle, I want to use that shiny sheel as a pillow and fall asleep…" Pikachu felt happy for Agitha. The group looked around to find bees with spikes for arms. One landed by Agitha who offered nectar. Others stood back.

"That's one big Beedrill!" warned Misty. Agitha wasn't afraid and the Beedrill allowed her to pet it. Misty glanced to the turtle, rather surprised to why it's here.

"I often forget that Shuckle is also a Bug Pokémon," she confessed.

"I remember you saying that about Pineco as well," Brock recalled. "Sometimes, Pokémon are more mysterious than people give credit for. You've found Bug Pokémon that you didn't mind crawling around like Venonat and Ledyba." Misty gulped to the notion.

"Yeah well, uh…" Heracross sniffed to Ash's side, making him rather uneasy.

"What is it?" he wondered. Heracross buzzed about Ash's side that caught her attention. Agitha picked up a theory.

"Heracross wants to meet your Heracross," she realized. Ash blinked before realizing the case.

"Oh…" He released his Heracross which the female took a great interest to. The two Single Horn Pokémon became attracted to each other. Both took to the sky with their claws linked.

"Talk about love at first sight," Brock laughed. "Those Heracross have their eyes on each other." Ash huffed a chuckle to the scene.

"This looks awfully familiar," he studied.

"Yeah, when you released your Butterfree in Kanto to the pink one after they engaged in a Courtship Dance," Misty clarified as she had a small man-like ladybug with four arms and antennae from its head. The others saw the ladybug creature.

"Misty, did you make a friend with a bug?" teased Agitha.

"There are bugs that I can accept like this Ledian," she retorted. To Brock, he remembered seeing one like that Ledian.

"Yeah, when we tried to boat around Mount Quena," Brock pointed out. Agitha laughed before she stared out to the area. She began to adore the Bug Pokémon that shaped Pollentasia.

"It feels like… I belong here," she admitted. "They can teach me so much…" Suddenly, a blast of wind blew the small Pokémon at and by her. She caught Butterfree and Ledian while the boys caught other Bug Pokémon. In the sky was a Meowth-shaped hot-air balloon and Team Rocket in the basket with a pair of oversize propellers. That's when they shot volleys of nets, snaring Bug Pokémon left and right. One even caught Agitha and reeled her and other Pokémon back to the hot-air balloon.

"Agitha!" screamed Ash. Laughter bellowed from above.

"Prepare for trouble, it's time you got the bugs out," Jessie started.

"Make it double, we're ready for every bout," James continued.

"You already know da rest!" mewed Meowth. Agitha recovered and discovered the Bug Pokémon unable to move.

"Everyone okay?" she asked. All of the Pokémon couldn't react. Overhearing her, James spotted Agitha with the Bug Pokémon.

"We got a passenger!" he alerted. "The buggy twerpette has been netted as well!" Jessie and Meowth also checked the net and found the Hylian.

"So we did…" the cat awed. "Although, it'll be tough to get dose Pokémon outta dere, not when we coated da net with special Bug Pokémon Repellent!" Agitha gasped to the cruelty of Team Rocket. That's when she remembered her lie that she told Ash and his friends and took a chance on Team Rocket.

"In the name of Princess Agitha of the Insect Kingdom!" she scowled. "I demand my release, this instant!" Team Rocket jumped at the fib.

"Jessie, James?" stuttered Meowth. "She's a princess!" James shook as well from the announcement. Jessie steamed to the news.

"I don't care if you're a deity of these bugs!" she roared. "You'll all end up squished!" The Rocket boys gawked to Jessie's rant.

"Dat ain't da Team Rocket way!" warned Meowth as he and James clasped Jessie.

"We may be Pokénappers but we're not murderers!" he added.

"I don't care!" snapped Jessie. Ash and his friends had a dilemma to overcome.

"We gotta get Agitha and the Pokémon out of there!" urged Ash. "I could send Pikachu but that net…"

"Right, you use Thunderbolt on Team Rocket, you'll be shocking them as well!" warned Misty. That's when Brock had a plan.

"I think there's a way around the repellent," he believed. "Ash, have Heracross attack the balloon." Ash wondered but a grin gave him an idea.

"I'll do one better," he sneered before turning to the action. "Heracross!" His Pokémon and the pink beetle returned to Ash. "Totodile, I choose you!" Ash opened a Pokéball, summoning a small blue crocodile with some red scales. It bounced around happily. "Pikachu, you get on the female Heracross. Totodile, get on mine." The two boarded the Heracross pair and flew up to the balloon. The female Heracross yelled out to the trees.

"That Heracross is calling out for help!" noted Brock.

"We gotta help too!" urged Ash before running off.

"Wait for us!" yelled Misty. As they tried to keep pace, buzzes aplenty echoed around the forest. Looking up, swarms of bees and mantises flew toward the balloon. "Pollentasia on high alert?!"

"It has to be, Misty!" studied Brock. "The Bug Pokémon are here to save their friends!"

"But they don't know about the repellent!" warned Ash. That's when Misty realized the plan.

"I get it!" she believed. "Totodile will wash off the repellent with Water Gun!"

"Exactly!" confirmed Ash. Purple and white moths flapped their wings, creating supersonic waves which rattled Team Rocket. Other flying Bug Pokémon sensed the repellent and couldn't close in. Ash's Heracross and his female companion closed in. "Totodile, use Water Gun on the net!" Totodile fired a massive stream of water with liquid repellent sprayed off as the female Heracross sliced the balloon with some help from the green mantises.

"We're swarmed in!" gawked James. The balloon descended as the flying Pokémon fanned the balloon onto a tree limb. With the repellent removed, a red mantis with claws for arms sliced the net. Agitha fell from the opening but Ash got into position quickly and caught her. Seeing who held her, Agitha awed Ash's help.

"Now I feel like a real princess," she cooed. "Thank you, my heroic knight!" She clasped his head and kissed him. Team Rocket felt cornered by the dilemma.

"Dis whole business bugs me!" punned Meowth.

"Now, we're about to be swarmed," James groaned. Beedrill had glowing red eyes all aimed at Team Rocket.

"Oh boy…" shuttered Brock. Jessie growled at the bugs.

"Buzz off, already!" she yelled as she swung her arm. That triggered the Beedrill who fired volleys of needles at Jessie. James and Meowth ducked inside the basket as needle after needle pierced and stuck onto Jessie's body: legs, hips, arms, buttocks and chest. More Pokémon attacked Jessie, her face and hair bit and gnawed by the bugs. "Get 'em off!" James and Meowth couldn't move. When the Pokémon finished their onslaught, Jessie's face became puss-filled and her body became purple and swollen with needles, pins and spikes covering her body and her hair destroyed, not a single strand left. Even the trainers could hardly watch.

"How is she still conscious, let alone alive?" questioned Misty. Pikachu didn't mind the pain Jessie's in, and he unleashed Thunderbolt which destroyed the basket, the balloon and the burner. The explosion sent…

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried. The bugs surrounded Ash holding Agitha like a bride. Agitha reached up to Ash's head.

"Do you know how much I love you?" she teased. Before letting Ash answer, she gave Ash one more smooch and held it, allowing their tongues to dance. The Pokémon cheered for the bug girl and the trainer. Misty growled at the sight while Brock moaned.

"Why does he get a girl but not me?" he whined. Just then, a shimmer. All heard it and turned to the sound. Ash let Agitha down and allowed her to find her missing phasmids.

"My golden phasmids!" she cheered. "I got them all!" She found and opened her cage before singing one more verse. "Li'l phasmid, li'l phasmid, I want to tie your long antennae into bows…" To Misty, her entire collection reclaimed meant one thing to her.

"Glad her singing's done," she huffed.

"Now, she can relax herself," Brock sighed. Agitha looked up, her journey to reclaim her golden bugs has ended.

" **You have done well, child,"** a woman's voice rang out. All heard and looked around, except for Ash.

"Who's there?" asked Misty. Ash turned to the Goddess Butterfly flying pass him.

"Remember that Grass Pokémon tournament when Meowth was disguised as a Sunflora?" he recalled. The Goddess Butterfly landed on Ash's knuckle. Everyone else gasped to the discovery.

"You mean?" gulped Brock.

" **Yes… I can speak,"** the Goddess Butterfly voiced. **"I must apologize for bringing all of you on this trip."** What did the Goddess Butterfly have to do with Agitha as they met eye-to-eye?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	9. Agithation

_Chapter 9/Final: Agithation_

* * *

Her ants, her mantises, her butterflies, her phasmids, her dayflies, her beetles, her stag beetles, her ladybugs, her grasshoppers, her pill bugs, her snails and her dragonflies… With help from Ash, Misty, Brock and the Pokémon, Agitha had her collection of 24 golden bugs back in her possession. Now, the attention was focused on the Goddess Butterfly on Ash's knuckle. The Bug Pokémon in Pollentasia came to see the Goddess Butterfly, the humans, the Hylian and the other Pokémon. **"** **Agitha,"** the Goddess Butterfly started. **"I was inspired by Link and his courage to solve the dilemma with the creatures of Twilight and the dastardly cowardice of Ganon. I sensed a desire within you:** **a sense for adventure."** Agitha seemed rather surprised to the admission.

"Really?" she gasped. "That's why you sent me here? And why I lost my golden bugs?" The Goddess Butterfly gulped to the error.

" **Yes, well…"** she stuttered. **"Your golden bugs were not part of the adventure."** The kids laughed to the mistake.

"Guess you can't plan for everything," Brock chuckled.

"No, but it does give you a nice experience," Misty joked. The Goddess Butterfly huffed a chuckle.

" **Something I'll keep in mind the next time,"** she giggled. **"Now, to focus…"** Everyone eased up. **"Agitha, now that your adventure is fulfilled… I can take you back home… Home to Hyrule."** Agitha gasped to the news. She could go back home and see what she missed. Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Togepi became upset. They knew her for awhile and now, the Goddess Butterfly was taking her to the peaceful land she grew up in. The butterflies gathered and began to form a vortex like the one that took her from her home to begin with. The Goddess Butterfly flew to the vortex, awaiting the bug-adoring girl.

"Well, Agitha," Misty called. "I hope you have more adventures back in Hyrule." Agitha stepped toward the flurry of butterflies with the pink Heracross coming to her. Agitha looked back at Ash and Pikachu. She remembered meeting and being saved by Ash from the Ursaring, finding Madame Muchmoney's Granbull, learning about Pokémon Ninjitsu, helping a father and son about their Yanma, watching Ash stifle Team Rocket's plan of stealing Leaf Stones and helping Charmaine with Pichu. She also remembered dancing with Ash and getting Misty to be friendly.

" **Are you ready?"** the Goddess Butterfly asked. Agitha bowed her head.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm gonna stay here!" Gasps from everyone echoed from Agitha's choice.

"You want to stay!?" gawked Misty.

"Yes!" replied Agitha as she glanced to Misty and Togepi. "You see, my reasons are plenty."

" **Oh?"** the Goddess Butterfly gasped. **"What would those reasons be?"** Agitha took a deep breath before answering.

"Hyrule is great, but this world is incredible," she explained. "All sorts of Bug Pokémon I can be friends with… and I've found my true hero in Ash." Misty balked, dropping Togepi to where the pink caterpillar caught the Spike Ball Pokémon. Amused, Ash stood by Agitha.

" **I can see…"** the Goddess Butterfly accepted. **"In that case, I respect your decision… The two of you seem inseparable. Ash, I can entrust you in Agitha's protection."** Ash nodded to the Goddess Butterfly's request with Pikachu squeaking in support. **"Very well… I'll return to Hyrule to guide another adventurer."**

"You take care of yourself," Ash smiled.

" **As well, yourself,"** the Goddess Butterfly replied. Finally, she flew into the butterflies and vanished. The butterflies scattered, closing the bridge between the Pokémon world and Hyrule. The pink Heracross buzzed to Agitha in jubilation.

"Why!?" growled Misty. "Just why!?" Agitha came to Ash and undid her hair, having it free to fly in the winds.

"He's why," she smiled as she gave Ash a passionate kiss. Ash felt her soft lips as the two Heracross awed the moment.

"In a sense, I'm happy for Ash," Brock sighed. "Still… Why does he get a girl and I can't!?" Pikachu grumbled to Brock about his whining.

"That stuck-up, bug-eyed twerpette!" growled Misty. "She's even making me speak like Jessie!" The pink Heracross buzzed to the two lovebirds about a topic. Ash's Heracross seemed to agree with his pink counterpart.

"What's Heracross saying?" questioned Agitha. Ash took a few seconds to think.

"I think this Heracross wants to travel with us," he assumed. Ash's Heracross buzzed in delight.

"Oh, great…" mulled Misty. "Just when had enough bugging me around…" Ash dug in his pockets before presenting Agitha a Pokéball.

"Here," he offered. "With this, that Heracross can be yours." Ash demonstrated how the Pokéball works by pressing the button to grow in size. The offered Pokéball in her hand, Agitha knew what to do.

"Okay!" she realized. "Heracross, be mine!" She threw the Pokéball where it hit the pink Heracross on the horn. It became a red light before entering the ball. It shook around for a little while before a sound chimed. Agitha picked the Pokéball up in triumph. "Hera, you and I have become a pair!" Ash smiled to the capture.

"Uh, that's HeraCROSS!" corrected Misty. Brock chose to clear the air.

"So, you don't like Skippy or Sparky as names either?" he reminded. Misty blinked before remembering.

"Oh, I get it," she mulled. Ash recalled his Heracross.

"Now, let's get to Ecruteak City and that Pokémon Gym!" The three became excited and got ready to head out, seeing enough of Pollentasia. Ash continued with his journey along his new girlfriend and his traveling companions. He fought other trainers, fended off Team Rocket on a daily basis, found and captured more Pokémon and won battles thanks to his friends supporting him. Agitha became handy after her decision to stay as cheerleader, as well as her Hera. Ash made it to the Pokémon League held in Johto. While he didn't win, he made a nice show of the tournament. A week after the League, Ash and Agitha came to a town. They walked through a street.

"This is your home?" she asked.

"Well, home _town_ to say," Ash clarified. "I can only imagine what Castle Town's like but Pallet Town's got some places to visit like Professor Oak's lab."

"I can imagine. I'm glad your mom's not afraid of bugs like Misty."

"Right?" They found and stepped onto the porch of a white house. "Mom? Mimey?" Hearing, a brunette woman entered from the kitchen. She wore a pink button-down shirt and skirt.

"Ash, Agitha, you're finally back," she greeted.

"Hello, Delia," Agitha greeted. "It's nice to see you after the Silver Conference." Delia chuckled before noticing missing members.

"Where's Misty and Brock?" she asked.

"They're back home," Ash informed. "Misty returned to Cerulean City and Brock's back in Pewter City." Delia looked disappointed.

"I see…" she sighed. "Agitha, make yourself comfortable." She and Ash entered the kitchen as Agitha released Hera and a Spinerak.

"It seems we're here," she announced. The two looked around to their new surrounding before the mother and son and Pokémon reentered.

"Agitha?" he called. Agitha and the Pokémon turned to Ash. "Pallet Town has a surprise for you."

"Wanna come and see it?" asked Delia. Agitha wondered about this surprise. She agreed and followed the family to a new glass dome. Agitha gasped at the size of the house.

"A greenhouse!" she cheered.

"Ash informed me, Professor Oak, Tracey and other townsfolk for a favor to construct one for a special someone," Delia explained. "We pondered through a few designs before we decided on this." Ash opened the door as other townsfolk came to see the new resident. Inside were trees and branches like a forest. Agitha felt overjoyed to have something like this.

"You have no idea how excited I am at this!" she yelled as she brought out her golden bugs. Her butterflies, dayflies, dragonflies and ladybugs flew off to get fresh air. Her beetles, stag beetles, grasshoppers, mantises, phasmids, ants, snails and pill bugs walked out of the traveling cage. Ash saw the bugs' release.

"I know they'll be fine," Ash believed. Seeing a crowd, all wondered about the new activity. Ash, Delia and Agitha exited the greenhouse and were met by the townsfolk. Now in sight, Agitha got a warm welcome from the people of Pallet Town. The townsfolk awed Hera's appearance.

"She's got a Shiny Heracross?" one young woman gasped. "I'm jealous!"

"I've never saw one like that, but that's a rare find," a man gawked.

"I can tell her Spinarak is trained well," another woman added. Agitha decided to introduce herself.

"I am Agitha," she started. "I'm an upcoming Bug Pokémon Princess… and girlfriend to Ash. Thank you for the greenhouse for my golden bugs." Rounds of applause echoed from the townsfolk. Ash seemed a little nerved.

"Did you really have to say that about our relationship?" he murmured.

"Of course," she argued with a smile. "That way, no one else can claim you."

"I see…" chuckled Ash before he released his Heracross. Hera and Heracross stood side-by-side as they and the townsfolk watched Ash and Agitha share a passionate kiss.

"Should we be worried about the pointy ears?" a boy asked.

"Just because they look different, it's not an excuse to judge them," a mother noted. Agitha never would've imagined herself going on an adventure, let alone what the adventure would give her. Now, she's found bugs to enjoy and a boyfriend to boot. Misty will forever be bugged in more ways than the literal.

* * *

THE END

(Okay, we're hitting the Summer! For that, I'm gonna do a Disney story for the season. When I get done with this new story, or Play of Ponymon's Star, I'm gonna do a story that's been… bugging me for awhile now since I'm still in the pun-ishment department with "Chaotic.")


End file.
